While I'm Alive
by normerofeels
Summary: Season 3 Episode 6 of Bates Motel redone. Instead of Norma storming off to Portland, she finds herself in a dangerous situation with Alex Romero.
1. Chapter 1

Norma Bates had been having an amazing day. It started off rocky when she went to Alex's house to ask for help. When he denied her, she had sort of thrown a tantrum by kicking his stupid door which seemed to be welded shut. Alex had grabbed her by her arms and held her against his chest, calming her quite quickly. All of this had confused Norma to no end. He usually wasn't affectionate. So the fact that he gave her an almost hug had been surprising enough. Not to mention the way her body reacted to his touch.

But back to the point, Alex had finally agreed to help her speak with Bob Paris which went better than she could have ever expected. She was getting a pool for her motel. And after a quick run to the store, she was finally home to share her news with her kids. She walks inside, her hands filled with grocery bags.

"Hey, I'm home! I got a chicken. I'm gonna make a pie." she calls out as she walks through the house and into the kitchen. She sees both Norman and Dylan sitting at the table with scared looks on their faces.

"What's up with you two?" she asks, setting the groceries on the counter.

"Huh?" she asks again when she is met with more hesitance.

"Well, no one can be in a hospital, 'cause we're all here." she says with a laugh to try and lighten the mood. Her smile quickly fades when neither of them move.

What?" she asks again. For a moment, she fears that something bad has happened to Alex. She hadn't talked to him recently and the boys were acting very hesitant.

"I need to tell you something." Dylan begins with a hint of fear.

"What?" she asks, her face serious.

"Caleb's in town. He has been in town. He... He's up at my farm."

"Caleb, my brother, Caleb?" she asks softly.

"Just hear him out, mother." Norman says. She glances at him, trying to keep her tears at bay.

"Okay." she says again, softly.

"He... he showed up just after your mother died, and he tried to offer me a bunch of cash from the sale of the house, and I wouldn't take it... I didn't want anything to do with him, right? And... well, then his car broke down and... I needed some help building the barn. He seemed like he had nowhere to go and I didn't know what to do... So I let him stay. He feels horrible about everything that happened, about what he did. I know... I know that this is... It's a lot to ask you, I mean, too much, but I... I just feel like I have to ask, because he's... He's tormented over this. He just wants to talk to you. To tell you that he's sorry. He... to tell you he's so sorry that it ever happened." Dylan says, all the while looking like a little boy who had just crashed a car.

"You have to try and understand, it's his father." Norman says in Dylan's defense. Norma looks at Norman, her facial expression still blank. She felt betrayed. By both of her sons. Caleb had somehow found his way back into her life and deceived her own kids into thinking what he did was forgivable. She couldn't bear it any longer. She slowly stood up from the table and walked out of the kitchen. Once she hit the steps, she took off up to her room. She retrieved her suitcase from under her bed and began packing her entire closet into the small case.

She moved with such aggravation that she accidentally knocked a vase off of her dresser. She didn't care. She wouldn't be needing it anymore. She stormed out into the hallway, almost taking out her two boys that were walking to her room.

"Mother? What are you doing?" Norman asks as she walks past him and into the bathroom. She collects all of her skincare products and medication into a basket and storms back into her room. She dumps the basket into her luggage and tosses the basket behind her.

"Mother. Mother, stop it. You're scaring me!" Norman shouts.

That statement set her off. Something inside of her clicked. She grabbed the nearest object which happened to be a glass cup and chucked it at her mirror, shattering both objects.

She walks around her bed and lifts her mattress to grab her gun that Dylan gave to her for protection.

"Norma, stop it! Look, I'll leave. You don't have to." Dylan shouts.

"Leave me the hell alone!" she shouts back, walking past them and out of the room.

"Mother. Mother! Mother!"

She ignored the shouts of her boys and ran down the steps, grabbing her car keys.

"Dylan, let me go! Mother! Dylan, get off me! Mother! No! Mother!"

She ran out of the door and down the many steps in front of her house to her car.

"Norman, stop! Norman, let her go!" Dylan says as Norman runs after her.

"Mother, you can't do this!"

"Stop! Norman!" Dylan shouts.

"Mother!"

Norma opens the car door and tosses her suitcase in before turning to her boys who are running down the steps.

"Your brother will look after you!" she shouts before getting into the car. She slams it in reverse and peels out of the gravel driveway before zooming down the street, away from them.

She didn't know where she wanted to go. Her mind was racing with so many different thoughts, and she was feeling so many different emotions. She needed to get away. That's what she would do. Drive somewhere and stay there.

Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since 10 o'clock that morning. If she was going to drive far away, she would need some food first. So she pulled into the nearest market and got out, storming into the store. She was walking up and down the aisles, her rage still seeping from her. She became even more enraged when she turned a corner and ran right into someone.

"Watch it-" she says angrily as she looks up into dark eyes. Her anger seems to disappear as she realizes she ran right into Alex Romero.

"Oh. You." she says, looking around.

"Yeah. You might want to lose the whole angry thing. It doesn't sit well with people in this town." he says. She glares at him, moving past him.

"Good thing I am leaving this shit town then." she mumbles, looking for something to eat.

"You're leaving?" he asks with surprise as he follows her. She ignores him, trying to walk quicker.

"Norma." he says, grabbing her arm. His gaze softens when he sees the hurt on her face.

"What happened?" he asks.

"What do you care?" she asks, staring at the items in his basket.

"I do." he says softly. She yanks her arm out of his grip and walks around him. He drops his basket and follows her out of the store and into the parking lot.

"I'm not letting you leave. Where are your boys? Do they know you're leaving?" Alex asks.

She turns around quickly, making Alex almost run into her.

"What I do is none of your damn business." she hisses.

"It is my business. This is my town. And you're..."

"I'm what?" she asks.

"Well aren't we friends?" he asks. She laughs, turning and walking away from him. He follows her without hesitation.

"You and I...we aren't friends. That's what you said. Those were your words-" she shouts back to him.

"Were. They _were_ my words. Things have changed-"

"Nothin has changed." she says bitterly.

"Norma please. Don't push me away. You're hurting. I can tell. I want to help." he says, jogging to catch up with her.

"You want to help? Leave me alone." she shouts. He grabs her arm again, pulling her to his car.

"Let go of me!" she shouts, pulling away from him. He pushes her against the side of his car, making her stop moving.

"Stop being so damn difficult. You don't have to tell me what happened. But you don't get to be mad at me. Okay?" he asks. She nods, not trusting her voice. He releases her arms and she steps away from the car.

Alex opens his mouth to say more, wanting to take advantage of a silent Norma, but the sound of tires screeching catches his attention. He looks around Norma to see a black car speeding down the parking lot toward them.

The car slows down in front of his car and he quickly pushes Norma behind him, making her fall to the ground with a cry of surprise.

A loud bang fills the air and a sharp pain enters Alex's chest. He winces through the pain as he grabs his gun and aims it at the car that is now driving away.

He looks down at Norma to make sure she is alright. The pain in his chest comes back in a stronger wave than before. Norma stands up and moves his jacket out of the way to reveal a large blood stain on his uniform. She gasps while Alex falls against his car for support and slides down to the ground.

"Oh god! Oh my god, Alex." she says shakily as she bends down next to him. She pulls her phone out and calls for an ambulance while Alex breathes through the pain. He had never been shot before and he never could have imagined how much it hurts.

"Alex, hold on. Okay? The ambulance is on its way." Norma says, rubbing his shoulders.

"It-s cold." he whispers, shaking. She removes her jacket and lays it over him. She reaches up and places her hand on his face, trying to keep him awake while her other hand tries to stop the bleeding.

"Keep your eyes open, alright? Can you do that for me, hon?" she asks, using the same loving tone that she would use on Norman and occasionally Dylan.

"I-I...f...I-" Alex stammers. He could feel himself slipping and he wanted to tell her how he felt about her. He couldn't die without telling her.

"Don't try to talk, alright? Just focus on breathing." she tells him, one hand pressed against his wound while the other hand still cradles his face. Her eyes were wet with tears and the color of them seemed brighter. He could feel his lips turn up into a weak smile as he realizes he could die and the last thing he would see are her eyes. And that's just how he wanted to die. Staring at her.

"Alex? Alex, don't close your eyes." Norma pleads, watching the brown of his eyes disappear under his eyelids. She shakes his face, making him slowly open his eyes.

"Keep them open, Alex. I know you're a stubborn man but you need to do this. For me." she tells him. He smiles again, before closing his eyes once again. Thankfully, Norma can hear the sirens in the distance.

"It's going to be okay, Alex." she whispers, watching as the lights come into view. She smiles and lets out a sigh of relief.

"It's okay. You're going to be okay."


	2. Chapter 2

Coldness seemed to consume him. It started off with physical coldness. His hands, his feet, they became cold. And then the coldness seemed to seep into him and spread throughout his body. The shooting pain in his chest eventually became nothing but a cold spot that blended in with the rest of his cold body.

He didn't know how much time had passed in that cold, black world, if you could even call it a world. Perhaps it was death that he felt. The cold, harsh reality of death. There were no sounds, no people. Just...cold darkness that surrounded him.

And then suddenly, there was a beep. It was soft, barely audible, almost as if it were coming through a tunnel. The beeping was slow, only heard every now and then. It eventually became louder, no longer sounding far away but instead like it was right next to him. The coldness began to subside as Alex could begin to feel his surroundings. The darkness was still there but the coldness was gone and the beeping continued steadily. Alex could feel the scratchy blanket that laid on top of him as well as the stiff pillow that cushioned his head. And there was something warm on his arm, something holding him down.

Using all of his strength, Alex managed to open his eyes to reveal his blurry surroundings. Across from him was a pale yellow wall, his blanket was white as well as the sheet beneath him, and his gown was light blue.

Why was he in the hospital? The last thing he remembered before the cold darkness was arriving at the supermarket.

To his right, Alex found the source of the warm thing that was holding his arm down. Norma Bates had her hand resting on his arm while her head was laying on his bed. It looked like a very uncomfortable position that she was laying in.

Alex opened his mouth to speak but stopped when he realized how dry his mouth and throat felt. He tried to swallow but it was more difficult than he thought it might be, resulting in a choked cough.

This noise woke up Norma who shot her head up and stood up from her chair. She quickly walked across the room to pour Alex a cup of water and hand it to him. He sipped it through his dry lips, wincing as his chest moved when he swallowed, tugging on the bandage that covered his wound.

"Thanks." he manages to whisper, his voice still sounding hoarse. She takes the water from him and smiles softly.

"Wha...What happened?" he asks, his eyes slipping shut.

"You were shot." she tells him. He opens his eyes with surprise. As she continues to talk, the events begin to come back to him.

"You're not gonna die. But you're also not gonna go anywhere for a while." Norma tells him. He stares at her and she stares back for a moment before shifting in her spot, obviously uncomfortable.

"I should go...check on my boys." she says, standing up.

"No, no, you can't leave." he tells her.

"What?" she asks.

"You could be in a lot of danger, you can't go." he tells her.

"Alex, I'm not in any danger." she says, taking a step toward the door.

He tries to sit up but stops, his hand flying to his chest where the pain seems to resonate from.

"Don't touch that." Norma says, walking back to his side and pushing his hand away. He looks at her with a mix of worry and protectiveness.

"Don't go. Alright? At least not until I am out of this bed and can drive you home." he tells her.

"You're worried about me?" she asks teasingly.

"Yes." he tells her seriously. Her smile slowly disappears as she realizes how serious he is.

"Okay. I won't go." she tells him. He nods and relaxes back into his pillow before looking back up at her.

"Can I look at it?" Alex asks.

"What?" she asks. He looks down at his chest and she realizes what he wants.

"Oh! Yeah. Sure." Norma says, reaching behind him to untie his gown. He closes his eyes to keep them from wandering down her v neck dress. Her perfume seemed to surround him, making him feel dizzy. She pulls away, gently pulling his gown down his chest, revealing a white bandage taped to his chest. There was dry blood all over his chest and stomach, though Alex didn't care. Norma, on the other hand, gasped at the sight. She walked to the counter and grabbed the container of water and a rag before walking back to him.

"What're you doing?" he asks, watching her soak the rag in the water.

"What does it look like?" she asks, putting the wet rag on his chest and wiping away the dry blood. He flinches at the sudden intrusion of space and tries to push her hand away, his efforts surprisingly weak.

"Leave that to the people who were trained to do this." he says as she wipes at him.

"They don't do a very good job at it." she tells him, dipping the towel back in the water, staining it a light pink. She goes back to him, wiping his chest completely clean before venturing lower to his abdomen. He flinches again, unknowingly flexing the muscles on his stomach. Norma hesitates, surprised at the six pack that was just shown to her before it went back into hiding.

"Quit flinching. I'm being gentle." she tells him, going back to scrubbing his skin.

"Between the dried blood and the sweat, this is pointless. You might as well take a full shower." she tells him as she dips the rag in the water again.

"You're not doing that." he tells her firmly. She gives him a look of exasperation.

"That's not what I was saying. I just mean that these nurses don't...they don't do their jobs well enough." she says.

"I think they have better things to do than give a forty year old man a sponge bath." he tells her.

"Don't talk like that." she tells him.

"Like what?" he asks.

"Like you're...I don't know you just made it seem like you were some old guy that people could care less about." she says with a shrug. He doesn't say anything and she notices his hesitation.

"You're not. I bet these nurses are fighting over which one of them gets to tend to your bedside." she says, the words slipping from her mouth before she realizes. He smiles, looking away with embarrassment.

"Thanks." he mumbles.

She smiles, pushing his gown even lower around his hips to get more blood. He grabs her hand when she almost pushes the gown too low.

"That's low enough" he tells her. She nods, her cheeks heating up as she stares at his happy trail as well as his inguinal crease. She bites her lip to stop herself from smiling as she continues with her efforts.

"This...never leaves this room." Alex tells her, watching her work.

"Huh?" Norma asks, looking up at him. She had been so lost in the lines of his body that his words got lost.

"Don't tell anyone that you...gave me a sponge bath. Got it?" he asks seriously.

"Yeah like I am going to tell everyone that I gave Sheriff Bulldog a sponge bath." she tells him sarcastically, rolling her eyes. She finished her work and stands up, glancing at his face which is coated in a sheet of sweat.

"I need a new rag for your face." she says, walking to the other side of the room to find a new rag and to dump out the container of pink tinted water.

"We are going to have to be more careful, Norma." he tells her.

"What do you mean?" she asks, refilling the water bowl.

"Someone is obviously after us because of our meeting with Bob." he tells her.

"I think you're thinking too much into this. It was probably coincidence that you were the one that was shot. I don't think Bob would try to kill us." she says, walking back to him with fresh water and a new rag.

"Now you're gonna tell me how things work around here?" he asks.

"I just don't think that you should assume that he's the one who tried to kill you." she tells him.

"You know, I could be dead. I-I did get shot at." he tells her.

"Well it looks like it went right through you." she says, giving him a cold look. He looks at her with a hurt expression. He didn't understand why she was being so cold towards him.

"Where's the flash drive?" he asks.

"Why?" she asks defensively.

"Because I need to know what I'm dealing with." he tells her.

"Why do you have to drag my flash drive into this?" she asks.

"You wanted me as an ally. I gave that to you. I respected you." he reminds her. She sighs, seeming to give up.

"Fine. Dylan hid it at the farm. It's taped under a grow light timer at the cabin. Some kid named Gunner knows how to open it." she tells him. He nods, making a mental note to stop by Dylan's farm when he is released.

"What kind of name is Gunner, anyway?" she asks, easing the tension as she goes back to her work of cleaning his face.

"A stupid one." he tells her.

She begins to wipe the sweat from his face and he closes his eyes, his hand grabbing hers to hold the rag to his forehead.

"Does that feel good?" she asks.

"Mm. Yeah. It's cold." he tells her, his eyes still closed. She smiles softly, watching him rest.

"I've never seen your face so relaxed. It's weird." she says, ruining the moment. Alex releases her hand and opens his eyes again. He grabs his gown, trying to pull it back up his chest with his one good arm.

"Here." Norma says, setting the rag down and pulling his gown back up. She goes to tie it but he stops her.

"It's fine. You can leave it." he tells her. She grabs the rag and goes back to wiping the sweat and dirt from his face. Once she finishes, she stands up and sets the bucket aside.

"I'm gonna run to the restroom. Do you need anything?" she asks.

"I'm okay. Just...be quick. Alright?" he asks. She smiles and nods before leaving his room. Alex relaxes against his pillow, his eyes slipping shut. He can feel himself begin to fall asleep when he hears a voice.

"How you doin, Sheriff?"

Alex opens his eyes to look at a large black man who he recognizes as Marcus Young, the man who is running for Sheriff against Alex. He sighs and swallows, his throat having gone dry during his moment of relaxation. Marcus grabs the pitcher of water and begins to pour a cup.

"What do you want?" Alex asks.

"Relax." he says, setting the water pitcher down.

"I'm not here to finish the job." he says, offering the water to Alex. Alex looks at the water before looking back at him.

"No." he tells Marcus firmly.

"What are you here for?" Alex asks. Marcus takes a sip of the water before answering.

"They were talking about you at the club. Bob's done with you, says you're no good to him anymore. They're going to kill you. Should've gotten the flash drive back from that woman." Marcus tells Alex with a smirk on his face.

"Thanks for the tip." Alex mumbles, keeping his face straight to hide the fear he has for Norma's safety.

"For my money, though, it's a waste them killing you." Marcus tells him, taking a step closer to his bed.

"I am gonna be the sheriff here, that's a done deal. But you know this place- the ins and outs. I could use a guy like you. I could keep you alive. I can handle Bob. He just needs to know you're working for me." Marcus says, sounding confident with himself.

It frustrated Alex to no end that men kept expecting him to work for them. Alex didn't need to work for anyone. In fact, these grimy men should be working for Alex.

"Yeah, i'll think about it." Alex says, his voice deadpan.

"Excuse me." a nurse says, walking in.

"Visiting hours are over." she informs him.

"I'm on my way out. Give me one minute." he tells her before turning back to Alex. He leans forward, putting his hand on Alex's pillow, making Alex pull away from him.

"I'll be back tomorrow for an answer." he whispers.

"Then we'll proceed one way...or the other." he tells him with a warning tone. He finally pulls away and leaves Alex's room.

Norma had stopped by the coffee stand on her way back to Alex's room to get Alex a bagel and a bottle of water. She felt confident with her purchase, excited to be able to do something good for Alex after everything he has endured because of her.

But once she gets back to Alex's room, she is surprised to see his bed empty, his sheets hanging halfway off the bed as if he had been in a rush to get out of bed. Norma sets her stuff on his bed before checking Alex's bathroom which is empty. She walks back into the hallway wth confusion.

"Excuse me, could you tell me where Sheriff Romero went?" Norma asks. The nurse looks at her with confusion before walking past her into Alex's room.

"Huh. He was just in here with a visitor." she mumbles with confusion.

"With me?" Norma asks.

"No. A dark, tall man in a suit." she tells Norma. Norma's heart drops as she thinks of all the things that could've happened.

"I'll have to report him missing." the nurse says, walking back to the station to send out a missing patient code.

Meanwhile, Norma feels as if she is about to faint. She rushes back into his room to check the bathroom again when she notices something. His bloody shirt was folded neatly and laid on the counter but his pants and shoes were missing.

He left.


	3. Chapter 3

Norma rushes out of the room and down the hallway, toward the direction of the parking garage. She didn't know what her plan was, considering her car was still at the supermarket along with Alex's car since they rode in the ambulance to the hospital.

Luckily, Norma didn't have to think of a plan because as soon as she steps outside, she sees Alex running through the garage with an IV pole. She quickly follows him, opening her mouth to shout at him but stops when he picks up his pole and swings it, crashing through a car window. Norma stops with shock, watching as Alex reaches through the window to punch a man in the face. The man grabs his arm, pulling him toward the car and Alex uses his elbow to punch the guy again. He grabs a gun and steps away from the car, holding the gun up to the man.

Norma watches with pure horror as Alex shoots the man without even flinching. He runs around to the other side of the car to pull the man into the passenger seat before closing the door and looking up right at Norma.

"Get in." he tells her, running back around to get into the driver's seat. Norma's feet don't move, her heart still racing as the image of Alex shooting the man replays in her head. This was the second time he had killed in front of her.

"Norma, now!" he shouts at her, starting the car. Norma jumps back to life, running to the car and opening the back door to slide in. Once her door clicks shut, they were off again, speeding down the road. One hand gripped the wheel while his other hand was tucked against his chest due to his injury.

"Alex what the hell? Who is that?" Norma asks, her hands gripping the handle on the door.

"Marcus Young." Alex says coolly.

"Marcus Young? As in the guy running for sheriff?" Norma asks with surprise.

"Remind me not to campaign against you." Norma says.

"It wasn't like that. He was a threat. He was dangerous." Alex tells her.

"And you're not?" Norma asks, regretting the words as soon as they left her mouth. His grip tightened on the wheel.

"I don't mean to be. I'm just trying to protect who I need to." Alex tells her.

"I know. I'm sorry." she tells him. She looks out the window, trying to find something familiar.

"Where are we going?" she asks.

"Bob Paris' house." he tells her. She looks at him with shock.

"Bob Paris? Alex you're not going to kill him, are you?" she asks with a hint of fear.

"No. Not yet." he tells her honestly. They stop in front of Bob's house and get out of the car. Alex grabs a towel from the back seat and begins wiping down everything that him and Norma touched.

"Now what?" Norma asks. Alex grabs a pen and paper from the center console and begins writing on it.

"Alex what're you doing? We gotta get out of here." Norma says, looking around with fear. He straightens up and sets the paper on Marcus' chest before shutting the door. Norma glances at it, reading Alex's handwriting.

 _I OFFICIALLY WITHDRAWAL MY CANDIDACY FOR SHERIFF_

"Really?" Norma asks, raising an eyebrows. Alex smirks and shrugs with his one good shoulder.

"I have a sense of humor." he says before glancing back at Marcus.

"He wouldn't have won anyways." Alex says.

"I know." Norma says, looking at Alex.

"We should get going." he tells her, walking down the road.

"So we're just going to walk all the way back to the hospital?" Norma asks with surprise.

"No. No hospitals. I'm fine." he says.

"Fine? You just got shot." she says with surprise.

"Yeah. Well like you said, it went right through me. We are going back to my house." he tells her.

"Alex, they need to discharge you. You can't just leave-"

"Norma, I don't want to go back, okay? I'm not a fan of hospitals." he tells her. She glances at him to see him glaring at the ground.

"Is there a reason?" she asks curiously.

"No." he tells her a little too quickly.

"Ya know, for a sheriff, you're not that great of a liar." she tells him. He smirks and glances up at her.

"It's okay. You don't have to tell me." she says.

"I'll tell you when you tell me why you were about to run away." Alex offers. Norma sighs, looking up at the dark sky that is filled with bright stars.

"My...my brother is in town again. And he...he has been staying with Dylan." she tells him.

"What's wrong with that?" Alex asks.

"He was...a bad man. And my boys know what he did. But they think I should talk to him. Let him apologize." Norma explains.

"And you wanted to leave town so that you didn't have to face your brother." Alex says, trying to connect the missing pieces.

"Sort of. I just felt...I had to get away. I can't explain it." she tells him. He nods, staring at the road ahead of them that seemed to stretch on for miles. He could feel his shoulder begin to ache, and he felt very tired and weak.

"Your turn." she tells him. He sighs, not knowing what to say.

"I don't like hospitals because...I only have one memory of a hospital. And that memory...it isn't a good one." he tells her, hoping that she will accept his statement.

"That's all I get? Come on, I gave you more than that." Norma says to him.

"What more do you want?" he asks.

"What was the memory?" she asks. He sighs, glancing over at her pleading blue eyes.

"It was...it was my mom. She went to the hospital after she tried to kill herself." he tells her. She gasps and stops walking, making him stop and turn to her.

"Alex I am so sorry." she tells him sincerely.

"It's alright. I just...I didn't want to tell you because I don't want you feeling bad for me." he tells her.

"Don't worry. You're still a tough guy to me." she tells him, continuing on with their walk.

"Good." he mumbles.

"How much further?" Norma asks.

"Few more minutes." he tells her.

"You doing okay?" she asks, glancing over to check on him.

"Fine. Just tired." he says honestly.

"We can take a break if you want." she offers, not wanting anything to happen to him.

"No. That wouldn't be a good idea. We need to get home as fast as possible." he tells her, reminding her of the crime they just committed.

"Right." she says with a nod. They walk in silence for a few more minutes before Norma breaks the silence.

"What if I go to the hospital tomorrow by myself and tell them that you left and they can give me whatever medication you need." Norma offers.

"That's alright, Norma. I'll be fine. Really." he tells her.

"I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for me. To ease my conscience." she says as if it were obvious.

"Oh. Well as long as you're doing it for yourself." he says in a teasing tone. She mock glares at him, her lips involuntarily pulling up into a smile.

"You should call your boys when we get home. Just to tell them you're alright." Alex tells Norma. Before she can answer, the sound of a car interrupts them. Alex grabs Norma's arm and pulls her off of the road to crouch down in the ditch. The car seems to slow down where they are but never stops before driving away.

"That was close." Norma says, looking at Alex with a smile. Her smile disappears when she sees him breathing hard and sweating again.

"Alex?" she asks, kneeling beside him. He looks up at her and she can see the fear in his eyes.

"Breathe, Alex." she tells him. He nods, trying to catch his breath. She places her hand on his face, making him look at her.

"Breathe with me, alright?" she asks, taking his hand and placing it on her chest. He closes his eyes, concentrating on the movement of her chest. Up and down, and up and down. Eventually, his chest moved in sync with hers, effectively calming him.

"Good." Norma whispers with a smile. He opens his eyes and moves his hand off of Norma as she does the same.

"Thanks. I'm sorry. I just..." he trails off, not knowing what happened.

"It's okay. Let's get you home, okay?" she asks. He nods and stands up with her, stepping back onto the road.

"We should've just called a cab." Norma says, regretting wearing heels.

"My house is right there." he tells her, pointing to the house that is just now coming into view. She lets out a sigh of relief at the thought of being able to take her shoes off.

"So how are we going to get our cars back?" she asks curiously.

"I'll have to call a cab in the morning to drive us." he tells her.

"In the morning?" she asks, realizing he is expecting her to stay the night.

"Well I can't call one this late. It might come up in the Marcus investigation. You have to be smart about these things." he tells her as if it's obvious.

"Alright. Can I at least shower when I get to your house?" she asks.

"You're not a prisoner, Norma. You can do whatever you want." he tells her with a smirk. She rolls her eyes as they walk up his driveway. He unlocks the door and holds it open for her, allowing her to step inside.

His scent hits her, making her hesitate in the living room just breathing the air. She looks around at his living room which looks the same as it did the last time she was here. Still filled with boxes of unpacked things.

"The shower is back in my bedroom which is where you're sleeping." he tells her, already grabbing a blanket from the closet for himself.

"And you?" she asks.

"I'm on the couch." he tells her, setting the blanket on the couch.

"Alex, I can't let you do that. You just got shot and-"

"The couch is pretty comfortable. I've fallen asleep there before." he tells her.

"Are you sure? Because I can sleep out here-" Norma offers.

"Go shower. I'll see you in the morning." he tells her. She smiles and nods, walking back to his room and shutting the door behind him. He removes his shoes before realizing that he is still wearing the hospital gown as a shirt and he left his sleeping pills in his room.

Alex pulls the hospital gown off of his body and hesitates for a few minutes, deciding whether or not to go into his bedroom while Norma is in the shower or deal without a shirt and sleeping pills. After weighing both options, Alex decides to rush into the room to grab his items and get out before Norma catches him.

He opens the door to his room and stops, staring at the clothes that were laying neatly on his bed. It was the dress she was wearing earlier today as well as matching black lace bra and underwear.

He hears the shower turn off and he rushes to his dresser to grab a shirt and his pull bottle. He turns on his heel to run out of the room but instead, his bathroom door opens and Alex's half naked body collides with Norma's hot, wet skin. She gasps and tightens her grip on her towel while Alex grabs her upper arm with his good arm to keep her from slipping on the wood floor.

His eyes meet her shocked blue ones and he quickly steps away, his face going bright red.

"I'm sorry." he says quickly. She adjusts her grip on her towel while looking at his bare chest. They begin to talk over each other.

"I'm sorry. Are you okay?" she asks.

"I didn't mean to...I was getting my medicine and a shirt because I was wearing the hospital gown." he says, holding up the pill bottle and shirt as proof.

"It's fine. It's your house. I should've brought my stuff in with me." she says, smiling up at him. His eyes roamed her wet body without his permission and once he noticed, he quickly looked away.

"I'll just...let you..."

"Thanks." she says, stepping aside to let him walk around her.

"Alex." she calls out, making him stop and look back at her.

"Do you...have anything I can sleep in?" she asks.

"Uhh..." he begins, racking his brain to think of what she could use.

"I mean I could sleep in my dress...or just my...undergarments. But if you have something-"

"Yeah. Sure, sure." he says, walking back to his dresser. He tries to keep away the image of Norma sleeping in his bed in nothing but her underwear but it kept finding its way into his brain. He blindly pulls out a shirt and holds it up to her.

"Thank you." she says, taking the t shirt.

"Anything else?" he asks.

"No. Thank you." she tells him. He nods and walks out of the room, closing the door behind him.

She smiles and bites her lip as she lets the feeling of his hands on her play on repeat in her head.

He sighs, glancing down at his shirt which was dampened when he grabbed her arm. Once he downed his pills, he grabs his shirt, pulling it over his head. He struggles to get his arm through considering his other arm is immobile. And that's what Norma saw when she walked out of his room, Alex with his shirt over his head, struggling to pull it onto the rest of his body. All she could see were his back muscles flexing since he was facing away from her.

"Let me help." she says, walking to him. He jumps at her voice, not having heard her walk in. Her hands grab the fabric of his shirt, helping his arm through and then carefully pulling it over his other arm. Alex winces at the movement and Norma looks up to his eyes with worry.

"I'm fine." he tells her, pulling his shirt down his stomach, finally.

"Thanks." he mumbles, sitting back on the couch. He is finally able to get a good look at her, her long, pale legs sticking out from under his t shirt which ends mid thigh.

"You can..." he trails off, motioning to the cushion next to him. She sits beside him, tucking her feet underneath her.

"What are the pills for?" Norma asks, glancing at the pill bottle.

"To sleep. I...I can never sleep much without them." he tells her, also staring at the bottle if only to avoid staring at her.

"Did you call your boys?" Alex asks, glancing up into her blue eyes.

"No. No I didn't. I just...I wanted to give them time to worry about me." she says sheepishly.

"Where's your phone?" Alex asks, realizing he hadn't seen it on her at all.

"Oh. Well I...I...broke it." she lies. He gives her a look, letting her know that he can see through her lie.

"Fine. I shot it." she tells him, leaning further into the couch.

"You shot it? Why?" he asks with surprise.

"I don't know. I was mad and they kept calling me and-"

"Will you please just call them and let them know you're safe?" Alex asks, grabbing his phone off of the coffee table and handing it to her. She sighs and takes his phone, dialing Dylan's phone number. It rings twice before Dylan answers.

"Sheriff?" Dylan asks with worry.

"It's me." Norma tells him, glancing at Alex. He stands up and walks into the kitchen to give her privacy even though he can still hear her.

"Mom? Where are you? Why are you with the sheriff? What did you do?" Dylan asks quickly.

"Is it Norma?" a voice says through the phone.

"Yeah." Dylan replies.

"Who is that?" Norma asks.

"It's Emma." Dylan tells her.

"Emma? Why is Emma still there? It's almost four in the morning." Norma tells him.

"She's helping me with Norman."

"Norman? What's wrong with him?" Norma asks with worry. Alex walks back in, hearing her side of the conversation. Norma looks up at him helplessly as Dylan replies to her.

"Norma, he went crazy. He's totally lost it. I found him in the kitchen making breakfast." he tells her.

"Who doesn't want breakfast at some point in the middle of the night?" she asks, trying to defend Norman.

"He thinks he is you. He is wearing your robe and telling me to wake up my brother, Norman, for breakfast." he tells her.

Norma sighs, putting a hand on her forehead.

"Can you just come home?" Dylan asks.

"I-I don't have a car." Norma tells him.

"What about Romero?"

"Our cars are at the supermarket. It's a long story. But I'm stuck here until morning." she tells him.

"I don't know if we can wait that long. Can Emma come and get you?" Dylan asks.

"I don't think that's a good idea. Alex needs to rest and-" Norma begins. Alex quickly takes the phone from her hands and begins to talk to Dylan.

"It's Romero. Talk." he says into the phone.

Norma bites her nails nervously as she watches Alex talk to her son through the phone before replying again.

"We'll be ready. See you soon." he tells Dylan before hanging up.

"Alex-" Norma begins.

"Emma will be here in ten. Get dressed."

 _Thank you, everyone who reviewed my last chapter! It is so lovely to have so many positive responses. I hope you enjoyed the last chapter. I know I enjoyed writing it. XOXO!_


	4. Chapter 4

Emma arrived on time and drives Norma and Alex back to the motel, not asking any questions about why Norma was there or why Alex couldn't move his left arm.

When they arrive at the motel, Alex steps out of the car and helps Norma out by opening her door for her. She looks him over, her eyes filled with worry.

"You shouldn't be here, Alex. You took the sleeping pills and you-"

"I'm fine, Norma." he tells her, leading her up the stairs toward the house.

"Thank you, Emma. For helping Dylan." Norma tells her.

"It's no problem. I'm happy to help." Emma tells her, opening the front door for them.

Alex walks in first, looking around for any sign of danger before stepping out of the way to let Norma inside.

"Dylan?" Norma calls out. Dylan appears out of the basement door, a worried look on his face.

"Is everything alright? Where's Norman?" Norma asks, walking to him with Alex trailing her.

"Basement. What happened?" Dylan asks, looking at Alex's arm.

"He was shot. What's Norman doing in the basement?" Norma asks, walking around him to walk down to the basement.

"You were shot?" Dylan asks as Alex walks around him to follow Norma.

"Long story." Alex mumbles, not wanting to leave Norma alone with her troubled son.

"Norman?" Norma says, walking around the table to stare at Norman.

Alex follows her, his eyes staying on the young boy who seems to be staring past them, a dead pigeon in his hands. Norma looks to Alex with worry before reaching over to put her hand on Norman's face.

"Norman, honey, can you hear me?" she asks. Dylan and Emma join them in the basement.

"How long as he been like this?" Alex asks.

"He's been blacked out for a few hours and came down here about an hour ago." Dylan tells him.

"Let's get him upstairs." Norma says. Alex grabs one of Norman's arms while Norma grabs the other and, slowly, they pull him to his feet.

"You got him?" Alex asks, checking on Norma.

"Yeah." she tells him, turning him around.

"You good?" Norma asks Alex, noticing him struggling.

"Fine. The pills are kicking in." he tells her.

"Dylan, do you mind?" Norma asks, nodding in Alex's direction.

"I'm fine, Norma." Alex says as Dylan takes his place.

"Emma and I can take him." Dylan tells Norma. Emma nods and steps forward.

"You take care of the patient." Emma says teasingly to Norma.

"I'm not a patient. I'm fine." Alex says, his voice sounding hoarse again. Norma nods and steps aside to allow Emma to grab Norman.

"Let's get you to bed." Norma says, walking to Alex as Emma and Dylan take Norman upstairs.

"Norma, I am fine. I'm just a little fuzzy." he tells her, trying to walk up the stairs. She grabs his good arm, helping him safely up the stairs.

He tries to walk into the living room but Norma redirects him up the second set of stairs.

"Where are we..." Alex mumbles with confusion.

"You're going to sleep in my bed." she tells him, leading him to her room. He wants to protest but once he sees her large, comfy bed, all he can think about is shutting his eyes and drifting away.

"Careful." she tells him as he ungracefully flops onto the bed. She removes his shoes for him and pulls the covers over him. His eyes feel heavy but he struggles to keep them open.

"Thank you." he mumbles as she sits next to him on her bed.

"Just rest. I'll...i'll be back after I make sure everything is okay with Norman." she tells him. He nods, his eyes slipping shut. She smiles at him, watching him for a moment longer before standing up and walking into Norman's room where Emma and Dylan are pulling the covers over him.

"Is he still out?" Norma asks as Emma and Dylan step away from the bed.

"Yeah. I'm sure he will fall asleep and be fine in the morning." Dylan tells her, ushering everyone out before shutting the door behind him.

"How's Alex?" Emma asks.

"He's asleep." Norma tells them.

"You said he was shot? By who?" Dylan asks.

"I don't...I really don't know. I mean we were standing by his car outside of the supermarket and then Alex pushed me behind him and I heard the gun. I was on the ground, I didn't see who it was." Norma explains.

"He pushed you aside? He saved you?" Emma asks with surprise. Norma's heart skips a beat as she realizes that he did save her life. If he hadn't pushed her to the ground, she could very well be dead right now.

"Why would someone shoot at you guys?" Dylan asks with worry.

"I don't know, Dylan. I'm still trying to process everything that has happened within the last 24 hours!" she says, becoming frustrated.

"Why isn't Alex still in the hospital?" Emma asks. Norma bites her lip, not knowing what to say.

"He...he doesn't like hospitals. I told him I would stop by tomorrow for his medicine or whatever they are going to give him." Norma says.

"Okay. Well, we should get to bed." Dylan says.

"Right." Emma says.

"I...I was gonna have Emma sleep in your bed but...I guess that's not an option." Dylan says awkwardly.

"Oh you don't want to sleep with Alex?" Norma asks teasingly. She seems to realize her poor choice in wording as Dylan and Emma laugh.

"Do you think before you say things or do you just let it flow?" Dylan asks with a smile.

"I can sleep on the couch. It's fine. And...I would rather not sleep with Alex. I think there is some sort of law against that anyways." Emma says with a laugh.

"Dylan, why don't you sleep in my bed and Emma and I will sleep in yours." Norma offers.

"Sounds good." Emma says.

"I have to sleep...next to Romero?" Dylan asks, already feeling uncomfortable.

"It's the only solution that makes sense." Norma says, already walking up to Dylan's room with Emma. Dylan sighs and walks to Norma's room. He opens the door and stares at Alex who is sleeping soundly, luckily only taking up half of the bed. Dylan walks around to the other side of the bed and lays down on top of the covers, facing away from Alex.

"Thanks again for letting me stay." Emma says, slipping under the sheets next to Norma.

"Of course, dear. You're always welcome here." Norma says, smiling at her. She reaches over and clicks the light off, the room being illuminated by the light of the moon that seeps through the curtains on the window.

The next morning, Norma wakes up on her own, sliding out of the bed, careful not to wake Emma who is still sleeping. Unfortunately, Emma is a light sleeper and wakes up, lifting her head to look at Norma.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." Norma whispers, slipping her feet into her slippers and standing up.

"It's okay." Emma says, standing up.

"We should wake the boys." Norma says, walking out of the room, fixing her dress that she had been wearing for two days now. She stops in her doorway, her lips pulling up into a smile as she takes in the scene.

"Emma, come quick." Norma whispers to Emma. Emma quickly walks to Norma and looks into her bedroom to see Dylan with his head resting on Alex's chest, one arm crossed over Alex's body.

"Oh...my gosh." Emma says with a smile. They walk further inside of the room and stop at the end of Norma's bed. Emma pulls her phone out and snaps a picture of the boys.

"Should we wake them?" Emma asks, reaching back to slip her phone in her pocket. Before either of them can decide what to do, Emma seemed to decide for them, missing her pocket and dropping her phone onto the wood floor, waking both boys.

Alex is the first to open his eyes, looking at Norma with confusion before looking down at Dylan laying on his chest. Dylan looks up at Alex before jumping off of him, falling out of the bed.

"What the-" Alex says, sitting up.

"What were you doing?" Alex asks, stepping out of the bed to look at Dylan who clumsily stands to his feet.

"Nothing! I was sleeping." Dylan says.

"I fall asleep alone in bed and when I wake up, you're cuddling to me. Thats not nothing." Alex says, getting worked up.

"I wasn't cuddling with you." Dylan says.

"That's not what the picture says." Emma says with a smirk, picking up her phone and holding it up.

"You need to delete that." Alex says.

"Em, don't send that anywhere." Dylan says at the same time.

"Alright, boys, calm down. No one will tell anyone about you two cuddling in your sleep." Norma says with a smile.

"Why don't we go to the kitchen for breakfast?" Norma suggests.

"Fine." Alex says.

"Will you send me that picture? I'm going to make it my screensaver." Norma whispers loudly to Emma as they walk out.

"Good luck with that. You don't even have a phone!" Alex shouts after them. He turns to Dylan who is staring back at him.

"I...I slept well." Dylan says slowly. Alex gives him a weird look.

"I'll be downstairs." Alex mumbles, walking out of the room.

"I...Im not gay or anything." Dylan shouts after him. He doesn't get a response from the sheriff.

"I'm not gay." he says again to himself before walking out of Norma's room.

 _This chapter was pretty silly towards the end so I hope that's alright. Anyways, leave a comment on what you think will happen next! XOXO_


	5. Chapter 5

Norma was cleaning up the table after breakfast while Dylan walked Emma out to her car. Alex helps where he can, though he is not able to do much with only one arm.

"Thanks for letting me crash here last night." Alex says, placing the dishes in the sink.

"It's the least I could do. You saved me." Norma says, glancing over at him. Alex looks uncomfortable, not knowing what to say.

"I'm going to get changed and then we can have Dylan drive us to our cars. And I am stopping by the hospital so I will swing by your house after that." she tells him, untying her apron from around her waist.

"Okay. Thanks." he tells her. She nods before disappearing upstairs. When she walks back down, she is wearing a white blouse with light blue flowers on it and a brown skirt that ends just below her knees. She was stunning, as usual.

Dylan was waiting at the bottom of the stairs next to Alex, the men standing as far apart from each other as they could.

"What're we going to do with Norman?" Dylan asks.

"Oh, well, I left a note for him in the kitchen saying we will be back soon." Norma says as they walk out of the house.

"No, I mean, what're we going to _do?_ " Dylan asks, implying more than what Norma was talking about.

"He...he was just overwhelmed. We have handled it so far-" Norma begins.

"It's getting out of control, Norma." Dylan says as they arrive at his truck. Alex opens Norma's door for her before getting in the back.

"Look this has been circling us for a long time and we just keep looking the other direction. The black outs, the cutting up dead animals, Blaire Watson-"

"The polygraph completely disproved that." Norma interjects. Dylan looks back at Alex for confirmation.

"Your mother's right." Alex tells him.

"Well, it's all way too much together to be dismissed. I just think we need to get help for him before it's too late." Dylan tells her.

"But...but I'm keeping him home. He's gonna be safe-"

"So you're gonna lock him up any time you have to go somewhere?" Dylan asks with an eyebrow raised.

"Maybe." she says in a smart tone.

"Norma, we need to do something-"

"I can handle it, Dylan. Okay? You're not his mother." she tells him angrily.

"You say you can handle it but you're not handling it-"

"Just drive." she says, glaring out the window. Dylan sighs and turns the car on, driving to the supermarket. When they arrive, they stop in front of Norma's car.

"Thanks." Norma says, stepping out and slamming the door shut, making Dylan wince.

"Thanks for the ride." Alex says, opening his door.

"Sorry about...last night." Dylan says awkwardly. Alex smirks and shuts the door behind him. He turns toward his car and hesitates before turning around and knocking on the passenger door. Dylan rolls the window down in response.

"Don't beat yourself up for last night. I...slept well." Alex tells him before finally walking away. Dylan smirks and rolls his window back up. He looks back at Alex, feeling a tug at his heart as he realizes that this man was the closest thing he had to a father figure. Sure he had Caleb, but there was always a sour taste in Dylan's mouth ever since he found out what he did to Norma. And Sam and John had never been even remotely good enough to Norma as she deserves. Alex had nothing but good intentions and had always been good to Norma. He seemed to make her happy in a way that she had never been before.

Norma had driven to the hospital where she was given Alex's medication and arm sling, as well as a lecture on how patients are not allowed to leave without signing a form. Norma responded to this by informing the nurse that the patient they were speaking of is the sheriff and if they had a problem with something he did, they could take it up with him.

When she arrived at Alex's house, she walked inside without knocking, figuring she would save him the trip to the door.

"Alex?" she calls out. She hears a thud from his room and she walks back, opening his bedroom door.

"Oh." she says, seeing him struggling with taking off his clothes. He looks up with shock at the sudden intrusion.

"Do you need help?" she asks, setting his medicine on his bed.

"No. That's not a good idea." he tells her.

"Do you have work?" she asks curiously, glancing at the uniform that is laid out on his bed.

"Yeah. In fifteen minutes." he says with aggravation.

"You better hurry up and change then." she says with a smirk. He sighs with frustration.

"I...I can't get the stupid belt unbuckled." he tells her, his hand fumbling with the leather.

"God, you're a mess." she tells him, moving his hand out of the way to unbuckle his belt. The gesture was more intimate than she had intended, her cheeks heating up as she realizes this. She slides the belt out and drops it to the ground, unbuttoning his pants for him.

"I can pull them off." he tells her. She nods and turns away as he pulls his pants off. She grabs the medicine and begins reading the instructions to occupy her mind.

"They gave me a sling." she tells him.

"I don't need it." he tells her, pulling his black jeans on, struggling to pull them up his thighs with just the one hand. They weren't tight or anything. It was just when he pulled up one side, he would let go to pull up the other side and then the jeans would end up falling lower.

"You're wearing it. Don't be stupid." she tells him. He huffs with frustration as he tries to move his legs to ease the jeans up.

"You done?" Norma asks.

"Just...give me a second." he tells her.

"You just...sound like you're struggling." she points out.

"Well you try putting on pants with one hand." he mumbles, still tugging at his pants.

"You'll get the hang of it eventually." she says optimistically.

"Okay. I'm good." he says once he finally pulls his jeans up over his butt. She turns around and grabs the bottom of his shirt, carefully pulling it over his head.

"Have you changed the gauze?" Norma asks him, staring at the fabric taped to his wound.

"I haven't had time. Or resources." he tells her.

"Well now you do." she says, grabbing the supplies from the bed.

"You sure you know how to do this?" Alex asks as she carefully removes the dressing.

"It's not rocket science." she tells him as she begins cleaning his wound. He winces at the slight burn but Norma continues with her swiping. She tapes the gauze to his chest before grabbing his uniform and helping him pull it on. She begins buttoning it, not noticing his eyes that remain on her face.

"I guess we have to be friends after this." Norma says, trying to ease the tension between them. Alex chuckles, making Norma look up with surprise. She had made him smile before, the first time being when she cleaned his cut, but this was the first time she had made him laugh.

"We were probably friends after the sponge bath." he tells her as she finishes buttoning his shirt. She turns to grab the sling while he tucks his shirt into his pants.

"Hey now, you were the one that said not to mention the sponge bath." Norma points out.

"Right. I forgot." Alex says, taking the sling from her hands. He slips his arm into it before putting the strap around his neck while Norma buttons his pants.

"How do I look?" Alex asks, grabbing his coat.

"Tough." she says with a smile. He glances back at her, his brown eyes melting her blue ones with his gaze.

"I should get going. Uh...you can stay if you want." he offers, grabbing his keys. The thought of coming home to Norma made Alex feel warm inside.

"That's alright. I...I'm going to go to the farm...to talk to my brother." she tells him, the words surprising her as well.

"Oh. Alright." he says, walking out of his house with her.

"I'll see you...tomorrow then." he says, walking her to her car.

"What happened to your window?" Norma asks, staring at the piece of cardboard that is taped to the passenger side of Alex's car.

"The shooting." he reminds her.

"Oh. I didn't even realize your window broke. There was so much going on." she says, still staring at the cardboard.

"I...I don't know if I ever thanked you..for that night. And everything that followed. So...thanks. I really appreciate you taking care of me. Not a lot of people would've stayed." he says, staring into her eyes boldly.

"Don't thank me. You would've done the same for me." she says with a smile. He smiles back for a moment before looking away.

"I'll see you." he says, walking back to his car.

"Bye." she says quietly, getting into her own car, driving home to get Norman and Dylan. When she pulls in, the boys are sitting in front of the motel.

"Get in the car." she says after rolling down her window.

"Where are we going?" Norman asks as they stand up hesitantly.

"To the farm to talk to your uncle." she replies.

"Norma, I don't think that's a good idea. We should wait-" Dylan begins.

"The damage is done. Get in the car." she demands. They climb in before Norma peels out of the lot, driving in the direction of the farm. She pulls onto the lot and stops in front of the cabin. She stares at the mobile home parked a few feet away and a panicky feeling begins to spread throughout her body. Her breathing becomes labored but before she can chicken out, she rips the door open and steps outside. Dylan and Norman scramble out of the car but don't walk with her.

She marches to the front door of the mobile home, prepared to bang on the door. Just as she is about to make contact, the door swings open and Norma jumps back to avoid getting hit. Caleb slowly steps out, his eyes filled with surprise as he stares at Norma.

Tears spring to Norma's blue eyes as she is filled with a mix of fear and longing for her brother. She hadn't seen him in decades and even though he had done awful things to her, she had missed him. He was her brother, her best friend, her protector. That's what he used to be, at least. And then all of a sudden, he was none of those things. Because he had hurt her, and you don't hurt someone you love. Norma turns around, walking away from Caleb who quickly rushes after.

"Norma Louise, I'm so sorry." he tells her, grabbing her arm to stop her from walking away. He turns her around, holding her arms in his hands, the feeling all too familiar.

"I'm so sorry." he whispers, his face scrunching with pain.

"I'm sorry." he sobs, falling to his knees in front of her. For a moment, Norma doesn't move. She just stands there, tears falling from her eyes as she stares ahead of her.

And then, she begins to sob with him, her knees giving out. She kneels down in front of him, taking his face in her hands before resting her forehead against his as he continues to whisper his apology. She hugs his head to her chest, her eyes looking up at the sky as she feels herself begin to forgive him. But then she stepped away from him, out of his reach.

"It's too much." she whispers, shaking her head.

"I...I can't do this. Not yet." she tells him before walking back towards her car.

"Norma, please." Dylan begins.

"Mother." Norman says.

Norma gets into the car without her boys and leaves, watching through her rear view mirror as all three boys fade into the distance.


	6. Chapter 6

Alex stops by Dylan's farm after work, wanting to see what was on the hard drive as soon as possible. When he steps out of his SUV, he looks up to see a man on the roof of what looks to be a house. It was only the structure and the man seemed to be in the midst of building it. The man had blonde hair and seemed to be pretty well built, though Alex couldn't seem to recognize his face, which was unusual for such a small town.

"Hey Sheriff." Gunner says, walking out from under the structure of the house.

"Hey Gunner." Alex says, glancing down at the boy before looking back at the man.

"What can we do for you?" Gunner asks, walking up to Alex.

"Uh, can I talk to you inside for.." Alex trails off, his curiosity taking over.

"I-I don't know you, do I?" Alex asks the man. The man looks scared for a moment as if he doesn't know what to say.

"Oh that's Dylan's uncle, Caleb." Gunner says for him. Alex looks to Gunner with surprise before looking back at Caleb.

"You're Norma's brother?" Alex asks with surprise. He was expecting someone more dangerous looking considering what Norma has said about him. But he looks like any old fisherman you would find by the docs. Then again, so did Keith and Shelby, and look what they ended up doing to Norma.

"Yeah." Caleb responds with a nod. Alex looks back to Gunner, no longer wanting to even talk to Caleb out of respect to Norma.

"Come inside." he tells Gunner, already walking to the cabin. They step inside and Alex looks around the room for the grow light timer. He finds it on the wall across from them and he walks to it, quickly finding the hard drive.

"I hear you can open the file on this." Alex says, setting the hard drive down on the table next to the computer. Gunner stares at him with an innocent face and Alex can tell he is trying not to freak out.

"No one here is gonna be in trouble for any of this. Come on." Alex reassures him.

"I don't know what that is." Gunner says anyways.

"As far as I know it's just another piece of the timer for the grow light." he continues in an innocent voice.

"Gunner don't make me get out the gun and bang your head against the wall and all that shit, cause I will do just that. So open it." Alex threatens, his patience having diminished. Gunner sighs and sits at the computer, plugging the hard drive into it. He types on the keyboard for a total of three seconds and suddenly, the screen fills with the files. Alex leans down and clicks on one of the files, opening it.

"It's some kind of ledger." Alex mumbles to no one in particular as he scrolls through the list of names and signatures on the form. He stops when a certain all too familiar name crosses his eyes. Theresa Reyes.

"What?" Gunner asks, noticing his hesitation. Alex rips the hard drive out of the computer and closes the laptop.

"What?" Gunner asks again.

"You can tell Dylan I have it." Alex tells Gunner as he walks out.

"Hey..." the boy protests weakly.

Alex glares at Caleb one more time before getting into his car and speeding over to the Arcanum Club where he knew Bob would be.

"I'm looking for Bob Paris." Alex tells the man at the front desk.

"Right this way, sir." the man says, leading Alex outside and onto a golf cart. They drive down the greenway and stop a bit away from the area where Bob is skeet shooting. Alex steps off of the cart and walks toward Bob. A man steps in front of him, trying to block his way.

"Don't even start." Alex says, his patience non existent at this point.

"Let him through." Bob says without looking back. The man steps aside, smirking at Alex.

"Go ahead." he says. Alex takes a step before turning back to the cocky man.

"I'm gonna kick your ass someday, and I'm gonna enjoy it." Alex says before turning back towards Bob.

"I've got a question for you about a name on that ledger." Alex says softly to Bob.

"I was wondering when you'd actually look at it." Bob says, reloading his shot gun.

"Took an awful lot of faith from that Bates woman. You finally saw your mom's name on that ledger." Bob says, looking at Alex with a knowingly look.

"She's been dead for 22 years, and she would be rolling in her grave thinking her name's on some piece of shit like that." Alex says angrily.

"It wasn't me. I didn't put it on there." Bob tells him.

"Then who did?" Alex asks skeptically.

"Your father. He set up that holding company way back." Bob tells him. Alex continues to stare at him, letting the information sink in.

"'Thanks, Bob.' You're welcome, Alex." Bob says jokingly.

"So maybe now you'll help me." Bob says. Alex glares at him before walking away without answering. Alex had never felt so enraged. He had to shut this down and the only way to do that was to go to the man who started it all.

"Alex." his father says with disbelief as he stares at him through the wired gate.

"You're looking well." he says.

"Yeah, well, uh...it's, uh, it's not a social visit." Alex says, his emotions threatening to take over. He hadn't seen his father in decades and now, here they are.

"Why would it be?" his father asks rhetorically with a sad smile.

"Go around to the front. We can talk in the rec room." his father says, walking away. Alex follows the directions, already regretting coming to see his father. An officer leads him back to the rec room where his father is already waiting at a table with two cups of coffee.

Alex sits down, his eyes staying on the table for a moment as he mentally prepared himself. He finally looks up into his father's waiting eyes.

"Few years back, you started a holding company. I found the ledger on a flash drive. And I also found mom's name on the ledger." Alex begins, ignoring his anger that is threatening to boil over.

"Who uses their dead wife to collect drug money?" Alex hisses with disdain.

"What does it matter? It's a name on a ledger." his father say innocently. Alex shakes his head, looking out the window as he tries to reign in his anger.

"I don't understand your attitude. I made a lot of money for a lot of people."

"You were a dirty cop to the rotten core. That's what you were." Alex tells him, his eyes never leaving the coffee in his cup.

"Oh yeah? And you're Prince Charming?" his dad asks sarcastically.

"I'm nothing like you." Alex says, glaring at his father.

"You're going to take her name off of that ledger, or I'm going to kill you. You got that?" Alex asks, feeling dangerously serious about the threat that was just made.

"Use one of your dead friends instead. Okay? I'm sure you've got a lot of them. But you're not using her. Not anymore." Alex says, staring directly into his eyes.

"Fine, fine, fine. You don't have to make such a big deal out of everything like you always did." his father tells him.

"It's annoying. But there's no telling you anything, huh? You always know best, don't you? And you...you vilified me for your mother's death for 22 years, and she's the one who chose to leave that way." his father throws back in his face.

"No, you drove her to it. You drove her to it." Alex whispers, his voice not seeming to be able to work much louder without cracking. His throat seemed to burn with emotion.

"I did no such thing." his father says.

"You drove her to it." Alex tells him again.

"I loved her." his father says, interrupting Alex. They both stare at each other, neither one wanting to see the other any longer.

"Nice seeing you, Alex." his dad says before standing up and walking out of the room. Alex watches him leave, feeling tears form in his eyes and slip down his cheeks. He takes a moment to compose himself before standing up and leaving the building, driving to the nearest bar to drink away his pain.

He wasn't the only person with that idea in mind. Norma had arrived at the bar a few hours earlier. When she first arrived, a man immediately sat next to her at the bar, much to her dismay.

"I've never seen you in here before. What's your name?" the man asks, a drink already in his hand.

"I'm, uh...Norma Louise Calhoun." Norma says, looking over at the man with dark blonde hair and green eyes.

"You're pretty, Norma Louise." the man says with a smile. She smiles, not having been complimented since Zach Shelby was alive. A few hours and many drinks later, they were dancing to the music that played over the speakers. Norma had never heard the song before, though she wasn't exactly listening to it. She couldn't really concentrate on much with the amount of liquor in her system at the moment.

"You always this quiet?" the man asks. Norma smiles, thinking of a story to tell.

"I ran out on my wedding today." she tells him.

"You did not." he says.

"I certainly did. He was a really nice guy. I just couldn't do it, you know? I-I have a problem with commitment, as in, I don't get it." she says, her words slurring together. She rests her head on his shoulder, too tired to keep it up.

"So, you've never been married before, Norma Louise?" the man asks. Her mind immediately thinks of Sam and John, both of whom she married and both of whom had abused her both physically and emotionally.

"Mm...maybe once. But there was something wrong with him...you know, like, mentally. We couldn't stay together, so I had to kill him." she says, finally looking up at him with a smile. He chuckles when he sees her smile.

"Don't listen to anything I say, I'm so drunk. I haven't made sense in the last hour." she says with a smile. Her eyes gaze past him at the man that just walked into the bar. He had dark hair and dark eyes framed by dark, long lashes. Her smile widens when she realizes this man was Alex.

"Do you want to go to my truck with me? Have a smoke?" the man asks, his hands traveling down to grab her butt. Norma thinks about ditching this guy for Alex but remembers the drunk state she is in and decides against talking to Alex.

"Mm...okay." she says, grabbing his hand and allowing him to lead her out.

Alex glances over just in time to see Norma walking out of the bar with her hand in the man's large one, her poor balance just barely keeping her up.

"Can I get you something?" the bartender asks. Alex glances back at him before looking at the door that Norma just left through.

"That blonde woman, how long has she been here?" Alex asks.

"Uh...few hours probably. She was here when I started my shift at ten." the young man answers as he cleans the bar table. Alex glances at his phone, the glowing numbers reading that it's just past midnight.

"Thanks." Alex mumbles before walking out the same door that Norma just walked out of. He looks around, looking for the pair but can't seem to find them.

His eyes then see a movement inside of an old truck. He squints his eyes to try to get a better look at what looks like Norma and the man heavily making out. Jealousy rises up in Alex's chest and he can feel his fists clench. And then, the man breaks the kiss and grabs Norma's neck, pushing her head down to his lap area. Alex takes action, walking toward the truck and yanking the door open just in time to see Norma spit in his face.

Alex grabs her by her arm, pulling her out of the truck and holding her up until she steadies herself. She looks at him with surprise, obviously wondering how he knew where she was. The man steps out of the car, looking angry.

"Take your hands off of her. She's already mine." the man says angrily.

"She's not yours." Alex says sternly, his hand still holding Norma's upper arm.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" the man asks, his fists balling up.

"My fiancé." Norma shouts happily, drunkenly draping her arms around his neck and nuzzling her nose into his shirt. Alex hesitantly wraps his good arm around her waist to secure her against him.

"Good luck with that bitch. She'll get you all worked up and then leave." the guy says, getting back into his car. Norma picks up her head to look at the man.

"Leave me alone." Norma says to him through his rolled down window.

"You're a freaking mess, lady!" the man tells her.

"Screw off!" she shouts at him as he drives away.

"Let's get you home." he says, guiding her to his car. She looks up at him with confusion.

"Why are you here?" she asks. Before he can answer, she is answering for him.

"Are you following me?" she asks.

"Well apparently I am your fiancé. And as your fiancé, I was very worried when you didn't come home." he tells her, buckling her in. She laughs, her hot breath hitting his face, smelling strongly of alcohol as she whispers back to him.

"You're a good fiancé."


	7. Chapter 7

The ride home from the bar was easier than Alex had thought it would have been. Norma didn't puke at all and she only tried to open her door twice. It was getting her into the house that Alex found most difficult. Instead of taking her to her motel where her boys would be, he took her to his house. She was at the bar for a reason and Alex wasn't sure yet what that reason might be. She could have been trying to get a night away from her boys and Alex didn't want to start anything by bringing her back to them.

"Just a few more steps." Alex says, holding her up with his one arm. She giggles as she falls against his side once again, having missed a step up to his house.

"Almost there." he says, leading her through his front door. He walks her to his bedroom and lets go of her arm, taking a step away from her.

"I'm going to get you some water. Don't go anywhere." he tells her before walking out of the room. He pours a glass of ice water and chugs it before pouring a glass for her and walking it back to his room. When he walks in, Norma is reaching behind her back, struggling to reach the zipper of her dress.

"What're you doing?" he asks, setting the glass down on the bedside table.

"I can't...reach." she tells him, swaying awkwardly in an attempt to reach her zipper.

"Need help?" he asks, stepping toward her. She nods, dropping her arms to her side. He slowly unzips her dress, revealing her smooth, pale back and her black bra. She tries to slide the dress down her arms but he stops her.

"Let me get you a shirt first." he tells her, digging through his drawers to find a t shirt. He pulls out a white shirt and hands it to her before looking away out of respect.

"I like wearing your clothes." she says as she pulls her dress off. She throws the dress at Alex, the fabric hitting his shoulder before landing in front of him on the floor. He chuckles and bends down to pick it up and neatly folds it, placing it on the desk in his room. The next thing that flies over his shoulder is her black bra. He stares at it with confusion, scared to touch it.

"Norma?" he asks hesitantly, slowly picking the bra up with two fingers and laying it beside the dress.

"Done." she sighs, flopping down into his bed. He turns around and his eyes almost pop out of his head when he realizes that white had been the wrong color to pick. The shirt was almost see through, especially with Norma's hard nipples poking through the fabric.

"You've had a rough week, huh?" he asks, sitting next to her on his bed, facing her. He pulls the blanket up over her, covering her up for his benefit. He would never be able to have a conversation with her if he hadn't hid her chest.

"Yeah. I've had a rough life." she says with a lazy smile.

"Yeah. You have. You know, you're one of the toughest women I know." he tells her, knowing she probably wont remember any of this in the morning.

"You're one hell of a fighter. You've been through so much shit and you're still one of the most loving people I know." he says, smiling at her. She smiles back at him, leaning into his touch when he brushes his fingers along her cheekbone. It was a sweet, tender moment between the two of them. These moments were rare, their relationship usually tense and awkward.

"Are you going to fuck me?" Norma asks, the words coming out strange due to her innocently kind voice. Alex laughs at her boldness and pulls his hand away so she doesn't get the wrong idea.

"Now why did you have to ruin that nice moment?" he asks lightly. She smiles and shrugs, not understanding what she just said.

"Well, are you? Because I would really like that, I think." she tells him with wide eyes.

"Would you, now?" Alex asks, liking the effect of alcohol on Norma's brain. It practically took away her filter, what little filter she did have.

"But if you aren't going to then I think James will." she says casually.

"Yeah? Who is this James? Is that the guy from the bar?" Alex asks.

"No. That guy was mean. James is nice. And handsome." Norma says. Alex can feel the familiar jealous feeling but pushes it away, focusing on a brutally honest Norma laying in his bed, asking to be fucked.

"How did you meet James?" Alex asks.

"He's my therapist." Norma tells him, playing with the fabric of his shirt. Alex doesn't know what to say. He knew there was some rule about therapists sleeping with their patients but he didn't feel the need to bring it up considering she wouldn't remember any of this in the morning anyways.

"Norma, why were you at the bar?" Alex asks, his eyes filled with worry.

"I tried to talk to my brother. He told me he was sorry but I just couldn't do it. So I left. And I drank, and I drank, and I drank." she tells him.

"I'm sorry." he tells her. She shrugs, her hand finding his.

"Why were you at the bar?" she asks. He thinks about lying to her, telling her he was there for a date or something, but decided it wasn't worth it.

"One of the names on the ledger was...was my mom. She's been dead for 22 years. Suicide. And my dad...he was the one who set up the trust. He's in prison and he was using her name to collect his share of the drug profits." Alex explains to her. Norma's eyebrows scrunch together with sadness as she looks into his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Alex." she whispers, sounding almost completely sober.

"Yeah...that's my sad story." he tells her with a shrug.

"Life is so hard, isn't it?" she asks.

"Sometimes." he mumbles, staring at their intertwined fingers. He slowly retracts his hand and stands up.

"I'm gonna let you sleep and...I will be back in the morning." he tells her.

"Alex?" she calls out, sitting up. His gaze goes directly to her chest before he quickly looks away. Her breasts were surprisingly perky for her age. They seemed to bounce with every little movement and it drove Alex crazy.

"What?" he asks, a little scared to know what she wants.

"Will you kiss me?" she asks. He pauses, not knowing what to do.

"Norma...I just...I don't want things to be weird-"

"They won't be. I promise. I just...I want to kiss you and I was wondering if you want to kiss me." Norma says, pushing herself up onto her knees. She reaches out and grabs his shirt, pulling him closer to him.

"Why don't you kiss James?" he asks.

"I don't want to kiss James. I want to kiss you." she whispers, her eyes glancing down to his lips.

"You don't have to kiss back." she whispers, her fingers slipping into his hair. She closes her eyes and pulls him closer to her. She slowly presses her lips against his as his eyes slip shut. He had dreamt of this moment for a long time, though he never imagined her to taste like bad liquor. His hands run down her sides, stopping just before the shirt ends. She hums against his lips, trying to pull him down to the bed but he pulls away.

"I just...I don't want to give you the wrong idea." he tells her, stepping out of her embrace.

"You won't." she whispers, reaching for him.

"I want to respect you." he tells her.

"Don't. Don't respect me." she says, trying to grab him again. He takes another step back, putting his hands in the air.

"I don't want you to regret anything. Okay?" he asks.

"I won't. I won't regret this. I want this." she tells him.

"If you still want this in the morning, then we can talk." he tells her. She sighs and sits back on her feet, unknowingly hiking her shirt further up her thighs and pushing her breasts outward.

He walks out of his room while he still has the strength to and grabs his cell phone, dialing Dylan's number. He answers on the third ring, his voice sounding worried.

"Norma?" he asks, assuming she had Alex's phone again.

"No, it's me, actually." Alex tells him.

"Is Norma with you? She hasn't come home yet." Dylan says.

"Yeah she's in my bed. She's pretty drunk. I'm gonna take her home in the morning." Alex tells him.

"Where did you find her? We've been looking everywhere." Dylan says.

"She was at a bar just outside of town." Alex tells him as he lays down on the couch.

"Oh. Well thank you...for keeping her safe." Dylan says awkwardly, not used to talking with the sheriff so much.

"It's not a problem. I'll...see you tomorrow...when I drop off your mother." Alex tells him.

"Yeah. Thanks. Goodnight." Dylan says, hanging up. Alex closes his eyes and quickly falls asleep, the events of the night having exhausted him so much that he didn't even have to take any pills.

When Norma awoke the next morning, her head was pounding and her eyes burned at the bright sun light that streams through Alex's window. She looks down at herself to find herself in Alex's bed with his shirt on. She tries to think of the last thing she remembers but the only things she does remember are fuzzy and in short bits. She vaguely remembers being inside of a car and there was a man next to her. Did she kiss this man? Was this man Alex? It would make sense for how she ended up here. She looked around for her dress but couldn't seem to find it. So instead, she grabbed one of Alex's jackets in an attempt to cover her hard nipples. Norma walked into the kitchen, an embarrassed look on her face as she pulls the jacket tightly across her chest with one hand while her other hand tries to pull the shirt lower around her legs.

"Good morning." Alex tells her as he pours coffee into a mug and hands it to her.

"Good morning. Thank you." she says, taking the cup, having given up on trying to cover her legs.

"Cream and sugar is on the counter." he tells her. She walks over and begins fixing her coffee.

"I...I don't remember much of last night." Norma begins, glancing at him hesitantly.

"That's alright. Nothing much happened." he tells her, pouring coffee for himself.

"Did we...did we kiss in a car?" Norma asks, a fuzzy memory floating into her mind.

"No, that wasn't me." Alex tells her.

"But I did kiss someone?" she asks with surprise.

"Yes. And that's when I found you." he says.

"I don't have any clothes on." Norma says, still holding the jacket shut.

"They're in the bathroom. I set them there while you were asleep... in case you wanted to shower." Alex tells her.

"Did...did I take them off or did you?" she asks.

"It was a group effort." he says jokingly. The joke flew right over Norma's head and she stares at him wth shock.

"I...sorry, that was supposed to be a joke. I unzipped your dress but I didn't watch you change or anything." he tells her. She nods.

"Will you just tell me what happened?" she asks, getting tired of this question and answer game.

"You were making out with a man from the bar and he tried to...push your head down to his lap. That's when I stepped in and pulled you from the car but not before you could spit in his face." he says with a proud smile.

"And then I drove you home." he says, not wanting to talk about the things she said after that.

"What?" she asks, sensing his hesitance.

"Nothing. You fell asleep in my bed." he tells her.

"That's all?" she asks.

"That's all." he tells her.

"When did I take off my clothes?" she asks.

"After I put you in my room. You changed into my shirt but not before throwing your clothes at my head. Thanks for that." he says with a smirk before sipping his coffee.

"Sorry." she whispers.

"And then...then I left and you fell asleep." he tells her. She hesitates for a moment as if deciding whether or not to believe him.

"Okay." she says uncertainly. They stare at each other for a moment more before Norma looks away.

"Oh, I, uh, picked this up this morning." Alex says, sliding a brand new phone across the counter to her. She looks up at him with surprise.

"I already had them transfer your contacts and everything so you're good to go." he tells her.

"Alex, you didn't have to do this." Norma says with disbelief, picking up the phone.

"How much do I owe you?" she asks.

"Oh, uh, nothing. Just...call me...next time you're stuck at a bar." he tells her. She smiles, leaning against the counter.

"And here is this." he says, sliding the flash drive to her.

"Were you able to open it?" she asks.

"Yeah. Just some business ledgers." he says with a shrug. She nods and slides the flash drive into the pocket of his jacket.

"So, uh, my car is at the bar?" she asks.

"No. Norman and Dylan got it this morning."

"How did they have my keys?" Norma asks.

"The bartender took them after your eighth drink." Alex says with a smirk. She sighs and covers her eyes with her hand.

"I'm really sorry, Alex." she says, still covering her face.

"It's alright. We will just head to your house whenever you're ready." he tells her. She glances at the clock and gasps.

"It's almost three in the afternoon. How did I sleep so long?" she asks with surprise.

"We got home pretty late. I didn't want to wake you before you were ready to get up." he says.

"Okay. I'm just going to grab my stuff and then we can go." she tells him, quickly walking back to his room.

"Well I was going to shower-"

"We don't have time. I have to get home. My boys are probably starving." she shouts from his bedroom.

"Norma, I smell like the bar." he says as she walks out of his room with her heels on and her clothes held to her chest. It was quite a sight to see Norma Bates running through his house in nothing but heels and his shirt and jacket. He wished he could have filmed it so he could watch it on repeat until the day he died.

"Shower at the motel then." she suggests, already walking out of his house. Alex sighs and quickly follows after her, getting into his SUV. On the way, Norma managed to slip on her bra without removing her shirt which Alex used to think was impossible. When they arrive at the motel, Dylan is walking down the steps, his keys and jacket in his hand.

"Where are you going?" Norma asks, stepping out of Alex's car.

"Oh. I have plans to meet with Emma for dinner." he tells her, walking up to them, a confused look on his face.

"What're you wearing?" Dylan asks.

"Alex's shirt. Why are you having dinner with Emma?" Norma asks with confusion. Alex glances at Dylan, obviously embarrassed by Norma's poor choice in words.

"Well she... she was a lot of help the other night. When you ran off and Norman went crazy. So I was just going to take her to dinner. Why are you wearing Alex's clothes?" he asks, trying to be casual about it.

"Because I took mine off." she says nonchalantly. Alex casts her a stern glance before looking back at Dylan who just looks uncomfortable.

"It wasn't like that. We didn't-" Alex tries to explain.

"Well...tonight let's just have a nice family dinner. Why don't you invite invite Emma here? I would love to have her." Norma suggests, ignoring Alex.

"Sure. Okay, yeah. I'll ask her." Dylan says, grabbing his phone.

"Okay." Norma says with a smile before glancing at Alex.

"Come here." she says, walking to the motel office. She grabs the key for room 11 and hands it to him.

"You should be more careful with how you word things." Alex tells her, taking the key.

"Wha...oh, that. Come on, Alex. It's Dylan. He knows nothing happened." she tells him.

"I'm just telling you." he says back, giving her a stern look. She rolls her eyes and sighs.

"There should already be towels and everything in there." she tells him.

"Thanks." he says before walking off to his room. She quickly follows, catching up to him as he is unlocking the door.

"Could I change?" she asks, holding her clothes. He glances down at her bare legs and nods, opening the door for her.

"Thank you." she says, slipping inside and closing the door behind her. He waits patiently for her to change, watching as Emma pulls into the gravel lot. Dylan opens the door for her, a wide smile on his face. Alex could tell that he really liked her.

"What's the sheriff doing here?" Emma asks, glancing at Alex who is pretending not to watch them.

"I'm not sure. He dropped Norma off." Dylan whispers to her.

"Dropped her off? She spent the night at his house?" Emma whispers back.

"He found her at a bar and was kind enough to take her home and care for her." he tells her.

"Well that's sweet of him." Emma says, glancing at the sheriff with a smile. Alex quickly looks away from them but not before he was caught watching.

"That's not even the best part. When she got out of the car, she was wearing his shirt. No pants. Just his shirt and her heels. Weird, right?" Dylan whispers.

"Yeah. Why didn't she have her own clothes?" Emma asks.

"She did. She just wasn't wearing them. She said she took them off and Alex tried telling me that it wasn't like that." Dylan explains. Emma listens, hanging onto every juicy detail that she is being fed. Before he can tell her more, Norma walks up to them in the dress she was wearing yesterday.

"What's that about?" Dylan asks, nodding in the direction of the motel room that Alex just disappeared behind.

"He needed to shower. Come up to the house. I'll start dinner." Norma says.

Just as they are about to walk up the steps, a car drives onto the lot and stops behind Alex's car. Caleb steps out, flowers and a card in his hand.

"Dylan go up to the house." Norma says, her eyes not leaving Caleb. Dylan follows her command without arguing, leaving them alone in front of the motel.

"What're you doing here, Caleb?" she asks, her entire body tense.

"I picked you some flowers. I remember you liked these. They're lupins. We used to run around the hills and pick them, remember?" he asks. She doesn't reply, doesn't even move, so he continues.

"I was just going to leave them. And this note is...basically saying thank you for talking to me the other day. It meant a lot to me. Here." he says, holding them out. She slowly takes them before stepping away from him.

"We can't be friends, Caleb." she tells him. His face falls slightly.

"No, I understand." he says sadly.

"Alright." she says.

"Okay. Goodbye, Norma." he says, turning around.

"Caleb." she says before she can stop herself. He turns back around to look at her.

"Would you...like to stay for dinner?" she asks.

"Just for tonight. The family's here. We can...we can all be together." she suggests.

"But just for tonight." she adds again.

"Yes. Thank you." he says, following her up to the house.

 _I know you guys keep asking for Norma and Alex to get together. I just don't feel like they're ready yet. This is the best I can offer you for now. I hope it's enough! XOXO_


	8. Chapter 8

They walk inside to find Emma and Dylan standing in the living room talking.

"My brother is joining us for dinner." Norma announces, answering Dylan's confused look.

"Uh, I'm going to get the food on the table. It's almost done." Norma says, retreating into the kitchen. She can hear Dylan introduce Emma to Caleb as she takes the food out of the oven to cool. She glances at the table and decides to put out her nice china. She reaches for the wine but can't remember what kind Caleb likes so she grabs both bottles and walks into the living room.

"So do you want a Chardonnay or a Pinot Noir?" Norma asks, holding up both bottles.

"I'll do either." Caleb tells her.

"Okay." she says, turning to walk back to the dining room.

"Hey." he says, catching her attention before she can walk away.

"Do you still...do you still play, Norma?" he asks.

"Piano? Yeah." she says, setting down the wine on the table beside the couch.

"Eh...you know, tinker around a bit." she says.

"Play something for me." he says. She walks over and sits on the piano bench, staring at the keys.

"Go on." he encourages her. She raises her hands to the keys.

"I hardly remember." she says with a slight laugh as she begins playing. She plays a short tune before reaching over to get some sheet music.

"I remember you practicing that on the old piano we inherited. Half the keys stuck but you played it anyways." Caleb says.

"Yeah. You remember this?" she asks, starting the song.

Alex reaches the top steps, hesitating with his hand on the door knob of the front door as music is heard from inside. He quietly opens the first door and steps inside, listening to Norma's voice sing the song, accompanied by a male voice. He smiles as he listens to her sing. He had never heard her sing before, didn't even know she could, and now that he knew what she sounded like, he decided that it was his new favorite sound.

"Faster, faster." the man says encouragingly as the piano notes begin to speed up.

"Go, go! Faster!" he shouts again.

Alex decided it was a good time to make an entrance. He slowly stepped inside as the song comes to an end. He looks around awkwardly as everyone begins to turn and look at him. Norma was the last to look back at him, a smile on her face.

"Hey." he begins awkwardly.

"So...sorry to in...interrupt." Alex stutters, not enjoying everyone's attention on him. He glances around the room before focusing on Norma.

"I just wanted to say thank you. I-I'm feeling better so...I'm just gonna go home." he tells her. She stands up, a smile on her face.

"No you're not. You're going to stay for dinner." she tells him matter of factly.

"N...no, no. No, I'm not in any shape to-"

"Yeah...no, no, no. I'm not taking no for an answer. You're staying. Let's go sit down. Dinner is ready." she says to everyone. They all walk into the dining room and Alex hesitates at the doorway. Norman stands behind the chair at the head of the table. Norma passes by Alex and he gently grabs her arm, stopping her.

"Are you alright?" he asks.

"Yeah. I'm great." she says honestly.

"I just...thats your brother so I-"

"Things are good, Alex. For once, things are actually good." she tells him.

"How was your shower?" she asks. He gives her a weird look but answers anyways.

"Fine." he tells her.

"Where...where should I sit?" Alex asks Norma.

"Anywhere. Here." she says, grabbing the chair that Norman was standing behind and pulling it out for Alex.

"Thanks." he mumbles, sitting in the chair.

"Sure." she says, walking to the kitchen.

Norman walks around the table and puts his hand on the same chair that Caleb had his hand on, claiming it. Caleb seemed to sense the mood coming from Norman and easily gives up the chair.

"Would you like red or white wine?" Emma asks Alex.

"Red. Thanks." Alex replies.

"Say when." she says, pouring the liquid into his glass.

"That's great. Thank you." he says. She stops pouring and walks to Dylan to fill his glass. Norma sits at the opposite end of the table, across from Alex.

"Thank you all for being here." she begins, catching everyone's attention.

"I had this dream when I was little, uh, of a home where the door was always open and...and friends could come and go and stay for dinner and talk and everything would be lovely. Thank you all for giving that to me." she says, her voice filled with gratefulness. Dylan clears his throat and raises his glass.

"To friends and family. And to Romero, for saving my mother's life. We will never be able to express how grateful we are to you." Dylan tells Alex.

"Cheers." Norma says, raising her glass.

"Cheers." everyone repeats, clinking their glasses together. Norma and Alex make eye contact from across the table and raise their glasses toward each other. Her smile widens as she begins to realize that she had never had a friend as close to her as Alex was.

Caleb stands up from his chair, his glass in hand. Everyone looks up to him with fear of what he is about to say.

"To Norma Louise...who has always been like the sun in a cold universe. God bless you, Norma." he tells her. No one says anything, the silence hovering over the table awkwardly. Alex stares at him before glancing at Norma who is forcing a smile.

"The food's gonna get cold." Norman says, grabbing his fork and unknowingly breaking the tension. The food is passed around the table and conversation begins. Alex wishes he had sat next to Norma so he could talk to her a bit easier. But instead, Caleb kept trying to make conversation with him.

"So you're the sheriff?" he asks.

"Yeah." Alex says.

"How did you meet Norma?" he asks.

"Oh, yeah. I don't think i've heard this story." Emma says, jumping into their conversation.

"What story?" Norma asks.

"They want to know how we met." Alex says with a small hint of a smirk.

"Oh. Well that's not a very fun story." she says.

"Well that depends on how you tell it." Alex says, earning a playful glare.

"Em, how's your dad doing?" Norma asks, trying to move the conversation on.

"He's fine. I want to hear the story." Emma says with a smile. Norma sighs, knowing she won't win this battle.

"Norman and I were at the motel and it was late and Sheriff Bulldog, here, just had to know what we were doing." Norma says.

"It was almost two in the morning and you were doing renovations. It just seemed suspicious." he says, looking at her with a knowing look. She glares back at him, a smile playing on her lips.

"So how long have you two been dating?" Caleb asks. Norma and Alex look at him with shock while Emma and Dylan smile.

"We aren't." Alex says quickly.

"Dating? Me and Alex? Goodness, no." Norma says with a light laugh. She glances over at Alex who looks back at her, feeling offended by her statement.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I just thought-" Caleb begins.

"It's fine." Alex says, glancing down at his food.

"But you did save Norma's life?" Caleb asks. Alex glances up at Caleb before looking back at his food.

"I was just...doing my job." he says, wanting the attention off of him.

"It was very noble. He took a bullet for me." Norma says, her eyes never leaving Alex.

"I would've done it for anyone." he says back, still pondering why Norma had such a strong reaction against being assumed to be dating him.

"Yes. You would have. Because that's who you are. And that is an incredible trait to have." Norma says, oblivious to his attempted coldness. He glances up at her, his gaze softening as he realizes that she is being genuine.

"Well thank you so much for dinner, Norma. I should get going though." Emma says, standing up. Dylan and Alex both stand up as well out of respect.

"I'll walk you out." Dylan offers when Norman fails to even look at her.

"Thank you for coming, Emma. It's been wonderful." Norma says with a smile as Dylan walks her out.

"I should get going too." Caleb says, not wanting to over stay his welcome. Norma stands up when he does, not knowing whether to hug him or not.

"Thank you so much, Norma Louise." he says as she walks out with him.

"It was fun." she tells him. He smiles and nods, neither of them wanting to make the first move.

"Oh, it was nice to meet you, sheriff." Caleb says, looking around Norma to Alex who is standing awkwardly in the dining room.

"You too." Alex says, not entirely meaning it.

"Well...goodnight." he tells Norma.

"Night." she says back. She closes the door behind him and turns to smile at Alex.

"I'll stay and help clean up if that's alright." Alex offers.

"Oh you don't have to, Alex. Please, you're the guest." she tells him as he begins to clear the plates from the table.

"I'd love to help." he tells her, both of them ignoring the fact that Norman is still sitting at the table, an angry look on his face.

"It was a lovely dinner, wasn't it?" Norma asks, a dreamy smile on her face as she begins loading the dishes into the dish washer.

"It was. You're an amazing cook." he tells her.

"Thank you." she says, drying her hands after loading the last plate.

"I would love to stay longer but I have work in the morning, so..." Alex says, grabbing his jacket from the chair he sat in.

"Of course. Let me walk you out." she says, following him outside. The air was frigid against her arms that were covered by a thin cardigan. She crosses her arms tightly over her chest and turns to Alex once they reach his car.

"I...I want to thank you for staying for dinner. It was kind." she tells him.

"Not like you gave me much of a choice." he says in a light tone.

"Well...anyways." she says with a shrug. Her eyes seem to search his face, analyzing it.

"What?" he asks. She smiles and opens her mouth to reply but the sound of a car catches their attention. They both turn to see a black car pull onto the lot at the other end of the motel. Alex grabs Norma's arm and pulls her behind the motel to hide.

"Alex what're you-"

"Be quiet." he whispers to her, looking through the window into the motel office. A man walks in, hesitating in front of the front desk.

"It could be a guest." Norma whispers. The man walks behind the desk and begins to dig around.

"It's not a guest." Alex says, watching him go through every thing in the office.

"Stay here. Okay? No matter what." he whispers to her before walking away. He walks around to the front of the motel and grabs his gun, raising it in the air. He walks into the office, the bell on the door alerting the intruder. Alex recognizes this man as the man from the Arcanum Club that wouldn't let him talk to Bob. The man he promised to beat up.

"There's something here that belongs to us." the man says, as if justifying his intrusion.

"Put your hands out in front of you." Alex orders.

"Easy. Don't start something you won't be able to finish." the man says with a smirk. As if on cue, a man walks in behind Alex, a gun raised to aim at Alex. Alex glances back at the second intruder before focusing on the first one.

"He shoots me, I still get the shot off. You're dead." Alex says casually.

"I'm done. We're leaving." he says, walking toward the front of the office. He stops by the door beside the second intruder.

"That house up there...looks like a lot of rooms. Good places to hide things. Front and back entrance." he says to Alex.

"Here's a fact. If I see either one of you here ever again, I'll kill you." Alex says to him.

"Okay. But you're not always here." the man says with a smirk.

"And boy, does that Bates woman look like she would be one hell of a time. Probably wouldn't put up much of a fight." he continues. Alex punches him in the face with his gun and hears the other man cock back his gun with a menacing click. Alex grabs the now bleeding man by his shirt and pushes him to the other one before pointing his gun again.

"Leave the Bates family alone. And you tell Bob Paris that if he wants something from Norma Bates, he can come to me." Alex says. The men walk back out of the motel office and drive away.

Norma comes out from her hiding spot, having witnessed the entire interaction. She looks Alex over for any injuries, though she saw for herself that no one touched him.

"You could've been killed." she tells him.

"Make sure to lock your doors, Norma." he tells her, slipping his gun back into place and walking to his car.

"Alex." she calls out, running after him.

"I...I just...I want to thank you for always...being there to save me." she tells him. He nods, looking around her face to see what she is trying to get at. Before he can react, her arms are wrapped around his neck and her body is pressed against his. He slowly wraps his arms around her, his nose burying itself into her hair which smelled of lavender and vanilla.

She pulls away, her nose trailing along his cheek, his eyes still closed. He didn't know what to do. Last time they hugged, he tried to make a move to kiss her but it just made things weird for the both of them and resulted in a strange kiss on the cheek.

But this time seemed different. It was similar to the other night when Norma was drunk. The air was just as thick with intensity and Alex felt like he was choking. His hand came up to cup her cheek, his thumb stroking her soft skin. She finally opens her eyes and looks up at him, her blue eyes filled with many emotions.

"Mother!" Norman shouts from the house, making Norma jump and pull away.

"I should..." she trails off, stepping away from Alex.

"Yeah. Yeah I'll see you tomorrow." he tells her. She smiles and nods before turning around to walk back to the house. Alex gets into his car, his lips pulled up into the widest smile he had worn in a while. Things were changing, he could feel it. He could feel himself changing too, opening up and becoming more vulnerable for her.

He was not just falling in love with her, but he was falling into her. Like she was an ocean and he was drowning in the depths of who she is. It was a scary feeling but it was the most amazing thin Alex had ever experienced. She was the most amazing thing he had ever experienced.

 _I know you guys are asking for the Normero ball to be rolled faster so I am trying to accommodate. If you really need a timeline, give me two chapters. Patience is key, young ones. XOXO_


	9. Chapter 9

Norma wakes up the next morning, her dreams were fuzzy but they felt real. She was in Alex's room, asking him to have sex with her. She told him she would find James if he didn't want to. She never saw if he said yes or no but the dream was embarrassing nonetheless. But there was one part that confused Norma. It was Alex telling her about his mother who had committed suicide. And then, things got blurry again but it looked like she kissed Alex. The only way to find out if it was a dream or not was to talk to Alex.

She stares at the ceiling for a bit, a smile on her face as her mind moves onto the dinner they had all shared last night. Her door opens and she looks over to see Dylan walk in.

"Hey, Norma." he says. She sits up a little, pulling her covers higher up her chest.

"Hi, honey." she says with a smile.

"It was nice having everyone over last night. I'm so glad Alex came." she tells him with a smile. She thinks of the eye contact they had shared after Dylan's toast, her heart skipping a beat.

"Wasn't it?" she asks.

"Yeah. Yeah it was. Hey, um, Im going to go stay up at the farm for a couple of days. I need to get the barn finished." he tells her.

"Okay. That's fine." she tells him.

"But, uh, we still need to talk though, when I get back. About Norman. We have to talk about what we're gonna do." he tells her.

"I know." she says softly, having come to terms with the fact that she cannot help him the way he needs to be helped. Dylan leans down and kisses her forehead, the action new to both of them but pleasant. He pulls away and walks out of her room.

She slips out of bed and gets ready before walking out to her car. She had a few errands to run in town and she thought about stopping by the station to see Alex but decided against it. Her conversation with him could wait until he wasn't working.

On her way into town, a black car sped up to follow her closely. They began honking and flashing their lights at her while swerving.

"What the hell are you doing?" Norma mumbles, looking in her rear view mirror. She rolls down her window and sticks her hand out to wave them past her.

"Come on, Jackass." she mumbles, still waving. She pulls her hand back into her car but he continues to honk and flash his lights.

"What is your problem?" Norma asks. She waves at him again.

"Go around already!" she says with frustration. The car finally swerved around her into the other lane. They slow down to ride right beside her, making Norma feel uneasy.

"Pass already!" Norma shouts, glancing at the car. The black car speeds up and cuts her off, making Norma gasp and swerve to avoid an accident. Her car shoots off of the road, catching a barb wired fence before stopping in the middle of a pond. She takes a deep breath, stretching her neck which is sore from the impact of the fence. Blood drips from her nose, staining her pale skin.

She turns the car off and opens her door, still gasping for air. Without stepping out into the water, she leans out and looks at the damage done to her car, her front bumper just barely hanging on to her car which is covered in mud. She looks around at the dirty pong water surrounding her.

"Great. This is just great." Norma huffs bitterly.

She searches her pockets for her phone before realizing she must've left it in her purse. She finally finds it and unlocks her phone.

"You okay?" a man calls out, stepping out of the black car that was following her. Norma leans out of her car, looking back at the man.

"Are you crazy? You drove me off the road. I could've been killed!" Norma shouts angrily at him.

"You're lucky you're not dead, Norma Bates." he says, putting his gloved hands into the pockets of his black trench coat. Norma stares at him with shock. She had never seen him before and here he was, calling her by her full name. Someone had sent him to run her off the road.

"I'm calling 911." she says, dialing the numbers on her phone.

"Sure, you could. But you know who would be better for you to call? Bob Paris. He would like to speak with you. You have something that belongs to him." the man says to her.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Norma says innocently.

"Seriously. Do you think we're idiots?" he asks.

"I don't know who you are. I'm calling Sheriff Romero." she tells him.

"He can't save you. Can't even save himself." he tells her, making her look up from her phone to him with surprise. She hadn't talked to Alex since last night. A lot could happen over night and Norma found herself panicking at the thought of Alex being hurt.

"Do yourself a favor and call Mr. Paris. You can reach him at the Arcanum Club." he says before stepping back into his car. He starts the engine and glances back at her through his open window.

"And do it soon." he shouts to her before driving away. She looks back at her phone and clicks on Alex's contact name, calling him. His voicemail enters her ear but she hangs up to dial his office.

"White Pine Bay County Sheriff's Department, this is Regina. How can I help you?" a woman answers.

"Is Sheriff Romero in yet?" Norma asks.

"Uh, he is not in yet. Can I take a message?" the woman asks.

"Can you just have him call me when he gets in? It's Norma Bates." Norma tells her.

"And can I get a phone number?" Regina asks.

"He has my number. Thank you." Norma says before hanging up. She thinks about trying to drive her car back into the road but decides against it, not wanting to risk further damage to her precious car. She was just about to call a tow truck when a police car pulls up to where she is stuck and stops in the road. Alex steps out, watching her with confusion.

"Alex!" Norma says with relief.

"Norma...w-why are you in the water?" he asks with confusion.

"Oh I don't know, a swim sounded nice." she replies bitterly.

"If you're going to operate a vehicle, you should know how to work it first." he tells her.

"How am I supposed to get out of here?" she asks with annoyance.

"Well you could walk. Or swim." he suggests.

"Swim? In this dress?" she asks with surprise. He sighs and walks into the water, ignoring the fact that his pants and shoes are getting drenched. He stops beside her and holds his hands out.

"What're you going to do?" she asks.

"I'm going to carry you." he tells her.

"Do you have to?" she asks.

"Well unless you would rather ride piggy back." he offers.

"Alright, fine." she sighs. He bends down and slides one arm behind her back, his other arm sliding under her legs. He carefully picks her up out of her car, making sure she doesn't hit her head on her way out. He takes a step before Norma begins to squirm.

"My purse!" she says, reaching back to her car. He sighs and steps back to her car, allowing her to grab her purse.

"Anything else?" he asks.

"No." she says, wrapping her arms around his neck. He walks the rest of the way out of the water and sets her down once they are completely out of the water.

"Where have you been? I've been calling you." she says with annoyance.

"My phone was dead. Are you okay?" he asks, his hand grabbing her chin while he looks at her bloody nose.

"Yeah, other than the fact that I got run off the road." she tells him, pulling her face out of his hands.

"Someone ran you off the road?" he asks with surprise. She looks around for any eavesdroppers before leaning closer to him.

"Yes. And threatened me. Some guy who told me to contact some other guy about something that belongs to him. Probably about the flash drive. Why can't these people just hang on to their own shit? Like it's my fault." she says with annoyance.

"Who did he tell you to contact?" Alex asks.

"Bob Paris." she tells him.

"We need to give them the flash drive." Alex tells her, leading her to his car by placing his hand on the small of her back.

"Alex, no." she says, stopping and turning to him.

"I know that flash drive is incredibly valuable. That dying girl gave it to me, as if she knew I needed help. She gave it to me...it's like an omen. I'm not giving it up. Please, Alex. Please, I can't give it up." she begs him.

"Norma it's putting all of us in danger. I got shot, you got run off the road, is it really worth all of this?" he asks.

"Yes, Alex. I need this to help Norman. I need this for leverage." she tells him.

"It isn't giving us any leverage, Norma-" he shouts.

"I have to try! I can't give up on him, on this." she shouts back. His gaze softens and he glances around the empty road before pulling Norma the rest of the way to his car. Once they are both safely inside, he looks over at her again.

"If you're keeping this thing, then you are going to need more protection." he tells her.

"More protection? It's not like you can follow me around all day." she tells him.

"I can move back to the motel. And have the place patrolled." he says, starting the car.

"Alex I can't ask you to do tha-"

"And you're going to have to put in some work on your end too. Any time you leave the house, I need you to let me know where you're going. I need you to tell me when you get there, when you leave, and when you get home. Any complications along the way, you tell me." he tells her, driving to the hospital.

"Aren't we going a little over board?" she asks.

"You want to keep that flash drive? Those are the rules. Okay?" he asks. She hesitates, still thinking over all of the rules Alex had just laid out.

"Okay?" he asks again.

"Okay. Fine." she says, staring out her window.

"It's just for a little while. Until this thing cools down." he tells her.

"What if it never does?" she asks, glancing at him. He sighs, his grip tightening on the wheel.

"Then I'll take things into my own hands."

When they arrive at the hospital, Norma looks to him with surprise.

"Really, Alex?" she asks.

"You were in an accident." he tells her, parking the car.

"It was minor! I'm fine." she tells him.

"Will you just get checked out?" he asks, unbuckling his seat belt.

She is ushered into the waiting room where she waits with Alex for her name to be called. The man who ran her off the road was stuck in her brain, his words repeating in her head.

 _He can't save you. Can't even save himself._

If Alex were to be hurt because of the dumb flash drive that Norma had, she could never forgive herself. He already took a bullet for her, what else will happen to him because of her?

"Alex, I-" Norma begins, trying to tell him what the man said.

"Norma Louise Bates?" a nurse calls out. Norma stands up and glances down at Alex.

"Would you...would you come with?" she asks, wanting to keep him in her sight so she knows he is safe. He nods and stands up, following the nurse through double doors.

"You were in a car accident?" the nurse asks once they enter the room.

"It was minor but yes." Norma says, twisting the handle of her purse in her hands.

"Any pain?" the girl asks, writing notes on her clipboard.

"I had neck pain and my nose bled but I feel fine now. I actually would just like to go home." Norma says, glancing at Alex who is sitting silently in the chair beside her.

"I'm sure you'll be out in no time. The doctor is just going to check a few things and then you'll be good to go." the nurse tells her, leaving the room. Norma looks to Alex, her blue eyes scanning his face.

"I called a tow truck while you were in the waiting room. They've brought your car to the auto shop down by the pier. My buddy is going to fix it up, no charge." Alex tells her.

"Alex, that's wonderful. Thank you." Norma says, genuinely pleased and surprised.

"I hope it wasn't too much trouble." she says.

"No trouble at all." he tells her with a soft smile.

"Hey, what were you going to say earlier?" Alex asks.

"When?" she asks.

"In the lobby. Before you were interrupt-"

"Good afternoon. I'm Dr. Potts. You must be Mrs. Norma Bates." the doctor says, reading from the chart. He looks up at the two of them before focusing on Alex.

"Ah, you must be Mr. Bates. Very kind of you to take your wife in for a checkup. All is well though." the doctor says, continuing to speak without giving them a chance to correct him.

"We have prescribed some pain medication for your head but other than that, you're perfectly fine. Can never be too safe though, can we?" the doctor says, winking at Alex.

"Wouldn't want to risk the lives of our loved ones." he says happily.

"How long have you two been married?" he asks, a wide smile on his aged face. Alex opens his mouth to correct him but Norma beats him to it.

"Almost two years." she tells him with a smile.

"Young love. Well I wish you both a lifetime of happiness." he says, standing up to shake their hands.

"You as well, Dr. Potts." Norma says sweetly. Once the doctor leaves, Norma stands up to gather her things, oblivious to the look Alex is giving her. When she finally realizes he is staring she looks over at his face.

"What?" Norma asks.

"Two years, huh?" he asks, leading her out of the room.

"What was I supposed to say? He looked so happy. What's the harm?" she asks casually as they walk out of the hospital.

"Well at dinner the other night, you seemed pretty adamant in making sure your brother knew we weren't dating." Alex points out. She gives him a look and clicks her tongue.

"Is it really that big a deal?" she asks as he leads her to his car.

"It seemed like it when you were drunk and kept calling me your fiancé." he mumbles as he opens her door for her and lets her slide in.

"I what?" she asks with surprise as he closes her door.

"I called you my fiancé?" she asks when he gets in. He glances over at her and starts the car.

"Don't worry, Norma. It's not that big of a deal."

 _Okay so most of the reviews i'm getting are from guests and I LOVE THEM ALL! Thank you all so much for supporting me and for lifting me up after being put down by some of the reviews here. Means so much! XOXO_


	10. Chapter 10

"Room eleven. Welcome back." Norma says, handing Alex a key. He takes it and grabs his duffle bag, walking toward the door.

"Alex, you really don't have to do this." she says, walking him out of the office.

"I do, actually. It's safer for both of us." he tells her, unlocking the door. He walks in, leaving the door open, indirectly inviting her inside.

He drops his bag to the floor and sits on the edge of the bed while Norma hesitates by the doorway.

"So what time should I come by to collect your laundry?" she asks jokingly.

"Ha ha. Funny." he says dryly, glancing over at her.

"Will you at least join us for dinner some time?" she asks, trying not to sound too hopeful. He pauses, looking around the room before nodding slowly.

"Okay. Fine." he tells her.

"Okay. I'll...see you tomorrow. Do you need a wake up call?" she asks.

"No, that's alright. I can wake myself up." he tells her.

"Alright." Norma says, stepping back toward the door before hesitating and stepping back to where she was.

"Alex, can I ask you something?" she asks.

"Okay." he says.

"The other night...when I was...intoxicated, did we talk?" she asks.

"What do you mean?" Alex asks.

"I just...I woke up the other day and I...could remember bits and pieces. I thought it was a dream at first but I don't know how I would dream up something if I had no knowledge of it." Norma says, confusing herself.

"What?" Alex asks.

"Your mom. Did she commit suicide?" Norma asks. Alex clears his throat awkwardly and nods.

"Yes." he tells her.

"Oh." she says, putting a hand over her eyes with embarrassment.

"That means the rest of it was true." she whines.

"What was the rest?" Alex asks, a hint of a smile on his lips. Norma removes the hand from her eyes and looks at him.

"Did I...maybe say some things that were...not entirely innocent?" Norma asks.

"What?" Alex asks with mock confusion.

"Oh, you mean when you told me you want to have sex with me." Alex says with realization.

"Though, you might have worded it a bit differently." he says teasingly.

"Alex, Im sorry. I...I have no filter when I am drunk. None." she tells him.

"So you're not much different when you're drunk then." he says jokingly. She narrows her eyes playfully at him.

"So you remember everything else?" he asks. She looks at him with confusion.

"What else is there?" she asks.

"Uh...nothing. That's all you remember?" he asks.

"Alex, what else happened?" she asks. He sighs, looking away, wishing he hadn't asked.

"The kiss." he says.

"Us? We kissed?" she asks with surprise.

"Well it was more like you kissed me. You even told me that I didn't have to-"

"Kiss me back." she says with horror as she finally remembers the kiss. It was one of the best kisses she had ever had and she didn't even use tongue.

"Alex Im really-"

"It's fine. In the past. Whatever." he says awkwardly. She forces a smile and nods.

"Goodnight, sheriff." she says, stepping out of his room before things could get more awkward.

"Goodnight, Norma." he replies as she closes his door.

The next time they saw each other was in the morning when Alex walked into the office for coffee. Norma was standing behind the counter, squinting at the computer monitor. She glances up and smiles when she sees him walk in.

"Morning, Alex. Did you sleep well?" she asks sweetly.

"Yeah, thanks." he mumbles, glancing out the window at the workers who are digging a hole in her gravel.

"What's that?" Alex asks.

"Bob Paris is putting in a pool, just like he said he would. You were there." she tells him. He glances over at her before looking back at the workers.

"How deep is it? It looks like they're digging pretty far down. Where are the plans?" Alex asks.

"Uh, I don't have them. But I have a call in to Bob. The workers say it's a pool and there are plans." Norma says causally, squinting out the window at the workers.

"Okay." he mumbles, walking to pour himself a cup of coffee. He glances back to see her squinting at the computer again.

"You do that a lot." he mumbles, turning to her. She looks up with surprise, the crease between her eyebrow disappearing as she relaxes her face.

"Huh?" she asks.

"Squint. You do it when you're cleaning too. When's the last time you had your vision checked?" he asks casually.

"I...I don't know, what does it matter?" she asks, her sweet tone leaving her voice, being replaced by annoyance.

"It's your vision, Norma. It matters. Here." he says, picking up a newspaper.

"Can you read the top line?" he asks, stepping back away from the desk and holding up the paper.

"Sure. White Pine Bay Current." she says confidently.

"And the next one?" he asks, pointing to the print. She rolls her eyes and focuses on the words, the crease coming back to her eyebrows as she squints.

"Without squinting." he tells her. She huffs and relaxes her face again.

"Current...Raise...Contact Our People-"

"Wrong." Alex tells her, handing her the paper which reads Citizens Raise Concern Over Pineview Institute's Security.

"So I got a few words wrong. Big deal." she says, shrugging her shoulders.

"You're blind." he tells her.

"Shut up." she says back.

"Can you even see me?" he asks.

"Yeah. And you look like a real moron." she says back.

"Don't be a smart ass. You need glasses." he tells her, grabbing his coffee.

"You're not my father, Alex. I'll get glasses when I need them." she tells him, becoming angry.

"I'm not saying I am your dad, Norma. I'm trying to help-"

"You think you're superior to everyone around you. You think you're all high and mighty, Mr. Big Buckle." she continues. Alex sighs, knowing he is in for a long lecture.

"Here." Norma says, grabbing a pen and paper. She begins scribbling for a few seconds before showing him the paper. She had drawn a dark circle.

"This is you." she says, pointing to the dark scribble.

"I'm an asterisk?" he asks, his voice unamused.

"No." she says, drawing lines coming out of the circle.

"You think you're the white hot center of the universe. Also...it looks kind of like a butthole. So it works both ways." she says with a shrug. He nods, taking the paper from the desk.

"I'm gonna frame this. Hang it in my office." he tells her, walking toward the door.

"It's about time you got a self portrait for your office." she calls out after him. She watches him get into his car and drive away without so much as a glance back at her. She sighs and focuses back on her computer, squinting and leaning toward the monitor until the letters focus. She types in the website of the local optometrist and schedules an appointment for the following day.

Meanwhile, Alex had decided to go to Bob's office by himself so that he could talk to him about Norma. When he arrives, the receptionist stands up, revealing her too short skirt, and smiles.

"Alex Romero?" she asks.

"Yeah." Alex says.

"Right this way." she says, leading him into Bob's office.

"Sheriff Romero is here to see you." she announces as they walk inside.

"Kismet." Bob says, looking up from his computer.

"I was actually just going to call you. We need to talk." Bob says as the receptionist leaves and closes the door behind her.

"What the hell's going on with that giant hole outside Norma Bates' house?" Alex asks, getting straight to the point.

"You can't build a pool without a hole, Alex." Bob says, closing his laptop.

"That's not the hole you build for a pool."

"It's certainly something she'll remember." Bob says, leaning back in his chair.

"Don't screw with her. Don't do it." Alex warns him.

"That's why I came with her the other day, so she isn't hanging out there all alone." Alex tells him.

"She isn't who you think she is, Alex. A few of my guys went digging around a few cases the other day. Particularly her husband's death. I don't think it was an accident. I think she is using you to stay safe. She is getting close to you so that when you do find something against her, you'll be too far into her to do anything about it.-" Bob begins.

"What does any of this have to do with you, Bob?" Alex asks.

"I'm just trying to protect the town that we both grew up in. I need an ally. I want you back on my team." Bob tells him.

"Yeah. I'm not interested." Alex says.

"I've known you a long time, Alex. I can read your face. You think about it and get back to me." Bob says as Alex stands up.

"Leave the Bates alone." Alex says before turning to leave.

"I won't stop until I have what's mine." Bob calls out after Alex as he leaves. He goes to work, though he didn't get much done. He feels the need to protect Norma but Bob's words seemed to hit some nerve. Alex never felt like he could fully trust Norma, as much as he wanted to. She had never been honest with him so why was he jumping through hoops and taking bullets to protect her?

When he pulled into the lot of the motel, he saw Norma standing outside, watering the flowers. He parked by his room and stepped out, wanting to run into his room before she saw him.

"Alex!" she shouted as soon as he stepped toward his motel. He spun around to face her but the rocks under his feet moved with him, making him lose his balance and fall back onto the rocks, hitting his head on his car in the process. Norma gasps and drops her hose to run to his aid.

"I'm sorry, Alex. I didn't mean to scare you." she says, kneeling beside him.

"You didn't scare me, Norma." he says, sitting up. His head ached but all he wanted to do was sit alone in his room and be as far away from her as he could get.

"You're bleeding." she says, pressing her hand against the back of his head.

"Emma!" Norma calls out. Emma appears from the motel office, looking confused at the scene in front of her.

"Bring me a rag, please." Norma tells her. Emma disappears back inside the office before reappearing with a rag.

"Thank you, dear." Norma says, taking the rag from Emma and pressing it against Alex's bleeding head.

"Hold that." she orders Alex. He takes the rag from her hand and stands up.

"I'm fine, Norma." he tells her, stepping back toward his motel room.

"Alex, go up to the house. We need to clean your cut." she tells him.

"No, Norma. Im just gonna rest in my room. The bleeding will stop." he tells her, turning away from her.

"Alexander Romero, go to the house so I can fix your cut and sew the hole in your jeans." she tells him. He twists his body to look back at his jeans which do indeed have a hole right on his left butt cheek. He looks at her with annoyance. score giving in and walking to the house with her.

"You can leave your jeans in the laundry room." Norma tells him once they are inside.

"What?" he asks with confusion.

"Well I have to wash them too. They're dirty." she says as if it's obvious.

"Well I'm not going to sit in your house without pants, Norma." he tells her.

"I'll...I'll grab something of Dylan's." she says, running up the stairs to Dylan's room.

Alex unbuttons his pants and pulls them down his legs before setting them in the laundry room along with his uniform shirt, leaving him in his boxers and black t shirt. Norma appears a few minutes later, handing him shorts. When he pulls them on, he looks down at himself before looking at Norma who is smiling.

"I've never seen you look so casual." she tells him.

"Really?" he asks, looking back down at the shorts that stop just above his knees and are a little tight on his legs.

"How was so supposed to know? You look like you're the same size as Dylan." she tells him.

"We are. These must be Norman's." he says, looking back down at the navy blue shorts with small anchors on them.

"Well, they'll have to do." she tells him, pulling him into the kitchen. She pulls up a chair next to him and sets the first aid kit on the counter.

"Let me see your palms first." she orders. He rests his hands on the table, displaying his cut up, bleeding palms.

"Why did you call me?" he asks after a few minutes of silence while Norma cleans the cuts on his hands.

"Huh?" she asks, not looking up from her work.

"When I got out of my car. You called my name and that's why I turned around." he tells her.

"Oh. I was just going to tell you that you were right. About my vision. I scheduled an appointment for tomorrow." she tells him.

"I'm really glad you told me that. It seemed urgent enough to yell my name." he says sarcastically.

"Well how was I supposed to know you're so clumsy?" she asks with a smirk.

"I'm not clumsy." he tells her.

"Do you ever get tired of being so stoic? I mean lighten up." she tells him.

"I have to be stoic with the job I have." he tells her.

"I think you focus too much of your life on your job." she tells him, finishing with his hands and moving closer to him to clean the cut on his head.

"My job is important to me. It's my top priority." he tells her.

"Well it shouldn't be. You'll never be happy." she tells him.

"And what should my top priority be?" he asks, raising an eyebrow. She pulls her hand away from his face and looks him straight in the eyes.

"Love." she answers without hesitation. He pauses for a moment, getting lost in her eyes before they flicker away.

"Love?" he asks warily.

"Yes. That is the most important thing. To love and to be loved. To give your heart to someone and have them give you theirs in return. Complete trust and vulnerability." she tells him.

"Yeah? And how well has that been working for you so far?" he asks. A look of hurt crossed her face and she scoots away from him, standing up.

"I'm finished. I'll have Norman bring your pants to your room when i'm finished with them." she says, packing up her things.

"Norma," he begins, feeling immense guilt for having lashed out on Norma for no reason.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that-"

"Like what? Like I don't know what I am talking about because of my two failed marriages? Because the last boyfriend I had owned a sex slave and tried to kill me? Because i've been raped too many times in my life to still be allowed to believe in true love?" she asks angrily.

"I do know love. I have two sons who are living proof of the love that I am talking about. So you can keep living your lonely life, Alex. I'm sorry for trying to help." she snaps at him before walking out of the room.

"I have found that love." he says quietly.

"I'm just too afraid to tell you."

Okay I worked really hard all day to give you guys this Christmas present. Merry Christmas!

I LOVE THE COMMENTS! Chloe(Guest), yes I did recreate that scene. IM SO HAPPY TO FIND ANOTHER CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG FAN! Wow! Normerooo (guest) and Wicked House(guest), I've worked hard just for you guys. Love the reviews! Keep em coming! xxxx


	11. Chapter 11

It was almost two in the morning when there was a knock on Alex's motel door. He should've been asleep and very well could've acted like he was but the visitor just kept knocking. Before he even opened the door, he knew who the persistent intruder was.

"What do you want?" he asks, opening the door to reveal Norma.

"Why do you have to answer the door like that? What happened to hello?" Norma asks, shifting her weight onto one leg.

"Okay, hello. What do you want?" he asks.

"You really need to work on your attitude, Alex." she continues, still not pleased with his greeting.

"Norma, its past midnight. You really need to work on giving your guests some privacy. Or at least a full night's sleep." he tells her.

"Your light was on and you're still in Norman's shorts. It doesn't seem like you were asleep." she points out. He sighs with frustration, having had enough of this pointless conversation.

"Have you been drinking?" he asks, smelling the alcohol on her breath. She had been drinking. She hadn't been able to act normal since earlier after she cleaned Alex's cut. She had stormed off, fuming with anger, when she heard him. It was soft, her ears just barely able to make out what he had said. But she heard him say that he loved her.

"Have you?" she asks back, trying to act normal.

"Yes but I can control myself when I drink. I just need to know if you're drunk so I can prepare myself." he replies cheekily.

"I'm not drunk enough to ask you to kiss me again, if that's what you're thinking." she tells him.

"Is there something you needed?" he asks.

"Why is everything always business with you, Alex?" she asks.

He steps back and begins to shut the door in her face when her hand shoots out and stops the door.

"Alright, fine. I just came to bring you your clothes." she tells him.

"You'll have to try on the pants because my sewing machine messed it up and now I don't know if the seam will fall correctly." she explains, pushing her way inside and taking a seat on the edge of his bed.

"They're fine, Norma. I don't need to try them on." he tells her, still holding the door open for her.

"Alex, would you please not be stubborn? Just this once?" she asks. He raises an eyebrow at her statement.

"I'm stubborn? You pushed your way into my room and demand me to put on jeans. I just want to sleep." he tells her.

"Alex, please? After what you said earlier today, can't you just do this one little thing for me?" she asks, raising an eyebrow back at him accusingly. He sighs, still feeling guilty, and closes the door slightly, leaving it ajar.

He pushes the small shorts down his legs and tug on his jeans, buttoning them before looking up at Norma's dark gaze. She stood up and walked around to squat behind him, staring intently at the stitching where the hole was.

"How does it look?" he asks, looking back at her squinting eyes. Before she can answer, his door swings open again and they both look over to Dylan who is looking back with confusion.

"I didn't know anyone was staying here and I saw the door open. Am I interrupting?" he asks. Norma quickly stands up and Alex turns to face Dylan fully.

"No, I was just-" Norma says while Alex spoke over her.

"She insisted on it-"

"I don't want to know, actually." Dylan says, stopping them.

"Sorry for barging in. Uh...carry on." he says before slipping out of the room. Alex looks to Norma who seems just as embarrassed as him.

"The seam falls just fine." she tells him.

"Oh, good. Good." he says with a nod, putting his hands on his hips.

"I'm gonna brush my teeth." he tells her, walking into his bathroom.

Norma felt that was her cue to leave but dreaded the thought of actually moving from the warm room back to the cold air. So instead, she looks around and sees his hand cuffs hanging from the radiator near his window. She walks over and sits next to the radiator and begins messing with them absently, not wanting to leave his room yet.

"Have you ever tried these on yourself?" she asks curiously, opening a cuff.

"Uh, no. I can't say I have." he says hesitantly, walking back to the room. She glances back at him with an innocent smile.

"Can I try?" she asks.

"You...want to hand cuff me?" he asks. Norma's cheeks heat up as she realizes how awkward she just made things.

"Not...not like...not in that way. Maybe I am a bit more drunk than I thought..." she stammers.

"Okay." he tells her.

"Okay?" she asks with surprise.

"Just one wrist. I'm curious too." he says. She smiles brightly as he walks over to her and sits next to her, holding out his wrist.

"Just squeeze them together." he instructs.

"I know. It's not rocket science." she says, squeezing the cuff closed. He winces at the tightness and she looks up.

"How does it feel to be on the receiving end?" she asks, holding the other cuff.

"Not good. I'm definitely rethinking how tight I cuff my prisoners from now on." he states. She laughs and leans against the wall, suddenly feeling extra warm from the alcohol. Before she knew what she was doing, she had leaned against the open cuff, tightening it around her wrist. She looks at her wrists with horror and realizes that the chain was looped around on of the radiator poles. She glances up at Alex who hasn't seemed to notice the situation yet.

"Uh, so, uh..." Norma begins.

"You wouldn't happen to have the key, would you?" she asks.

"Oh, yeah, it's right-" he says, trying to get up. He looks back at his wrist when he feels the restraint.

"Right. I forgot to tell you that I accidentally tightened the other one around my wrist." she tells him hesitantly, suddenly feeling a little too sober.

"And also we might be caught around the radiator pole." she continues. He looks at her with shock, not believing the current situation.

"You...cuffed me...to you." he says slowly, trying to control his temper.

"Yes." she says with caution.

"And the key...is in the bathroom." he fumed.

"Alex, I'm so-"

"What the fuck are we going to do, Norma? It's almost three in the morning and everyone is asleep! What are we supposed to do?" he barked, pulling his wrist, making the chain pull against her wrist.

"Ow! Alex! Stop!" she howled. Her cry of pain seemed to snap him out of his rage and he immediately calmed down, though he was still annoyed.

"Okay, let's think this through. We could call for help. Where's your phone?" he asks.

"It's up at the house." she confessed with sorrow.

"Mine is on the dresser. Can you reach?" he asks. She looks over at the night stand next to the bed.

"Maybe. Give me as much slack as you can." she tells him. He presses his wrist against the radiator and she stretches herself as much as she can, reaching for his phone. Her fingertips just barely reach the night stand and she sighs, looking back at him.

"Try using your feet." he suggests. She sits back down and removes her shoes and tries again, reaching with her feet.

"You've almost got it." Alex says, watching her struggle. Her toe grazes the edge of the phone, knocking it off of the table, landing in between the bed and the table.

"Shit." she whispers, sitting back down and looking to him for his next idea.

"Okay. Okay...are there any other guests?" he asks.

"Just one but..." she says, sitting on her knees to look through the window.

"He isn't back yet." she states.

"Back from where?" Alex asks, sitting up to look through the window at the empty parking lot.

"He usually stays out late but he is always home by morning." Norma explains, relaxing against the wall again. Alex sighs and relaxes next to her, rubbing at his irritated wrist.

"Do you have enough room to squeeze your hand out?" he asks, looking down at her red wrist. She grabs the cuff and tries pushing it down her hand, wincing at the pain it caused.

"Don't force it. You could break something." he says, pushing her hand away from the cuff.

"Any other plans?" she asks.

"We sit here and wait until morning. Or wait until the other guest gets back. There's nothing else we can do." he tells her, staring at the wall in front of them. There is a short silence before Alex is plagued by the guilt that had been haunting him all day.

"Listen, I'm sorry...about earlier." he begins, referring to their fight after she cleaned his cut.

"Oh, pfft, it's okay." Norma says nonchalantly.

"No, it's not. What I said was...it was harsh and uncalled for." he continues.

"Well it's a little true. I haven't had much luck with relationships. I mean I think I might fantasize about something that doesn't exist." Norma says. Alex looks at her with sad eyes, wanting to take away whatever doubt he placed.

"No, no, I think you were right. I shouldn't put my job first. I've focused so much on who everyone needs me to be that I think I've forgotten who I want to be." he says, finally opening up to her.

"The town needs me to be strong and passionate about my work but...but what does all of this amount to in the end? What stories will I have to tell...and who will I have to tell them to?" he asks rhetorically. She had never seen him so vulnerable, his head hanging, his eyes sad. It broke her heart...but it also made her feel the need to hold him, a feeling that was foreign to her.

"We humans are so tortured in not properly guessing what will make us happy." she says with a light tone. He chuckles and nods, staring down at his feet.

"You're lost in the world." she says more seriously. He looks up to see her smiling at him because, she too was lost. But neither seemed to care. Because they, in their own chaos, had managed to find each other.

"I suppose I am." he says.

"There's always a light in those who have been through the dark. I can see that light in you, Alex. Thank you for opening up to me. It's nice to feel so...carefree, isn't it?" she says, genuinely happy.

"You are a terribly real thing in a terribly false world. I think that's why you have so much pain. You're constantly trying to do what's right and the world just won't let you." he concurred. She looks at him with the most lovely smile he had ever seen and he realized it was because she finally felt understood.

He smiles awkwardly, not yet comfortable with talking so much. Luckily, the sound of a car pulling into the lot was distraction enough, making both of them sit up and look through the window at the car that pulled in in front of room seven.

"Thank God." Norma breathes out. The man turns his headlights off and the imprisoned pair is finally able to see the figures inside the car.

"Who is that?" Alex asks.

"His name is Jackson. I...I don't know who that girl is." Norma says. The pair in the car lean toward each other and begin to heavily make out.

"Oh." Norma says with understanding, still watching them. The girl crawls over onto the man's lap, giving Alex and Norma a side view of what was happening. Jackson pulls the girl's shirt up and over her head, leaving her torso completely bare and exposed to the pair inside of the motel.

"Oh." Norma says again, sounding shocked.

"Surely they won't do it right outside of the- Oh." Norma says as the figures begin moving against each other.

"The room is right there." Alex comments, his eyes leaving the pair of bouncing breasts to look over at Norma.

"Should we try to bang on the window?" Norma asks, finally tearing her eyes away from the pair to look at Alex.

"No. No that would be weird." Alex says.

"So we have to wait?" she asks.

"Well he will pass right by us. His room is right next to ours. We share a wall. It shouldn't be too hard to get his attention." Alex says, relaxing back again. Norma stays sitting up so that she can see when they get out.

"Do you work tomorrow?" Norma asks, making small talk.

"Yeah. I'm supposed to be in at seven." he tells her, rubbing his tired eyes.

"Why don't you lay down. Try to sleep. I'll keep a look out." she offers.

"You sure?" he asks.

"Yes, of course. Go to sleep." she urges. He lays down, keeping his cuffed wrist up against the radiator. His eyes slip shut but he couldn't seem to sleep knowing that Norma Bates was sitting right next to him.

"How can they still be going at it?" Norma asks aloud after a few minutes of silence. She watches with interest as the girl continues to bounce on the guy, wondering if her breasts looked as effervescent when she rode someone.

"They're done!" she says with excitement when she sees the girl crawl off of his lap. Alex sits up and looks out the window at the pair who climb out of the car. They meet in the front of the car, the girl still topless but wearing her skirt, and Jackson picks the girl up, allowing her to hook her legs around her hips.

"Hey!" Norma shouts, banging on the window.

"Help!" Alex shouts with her, banging on the glass.

"Help us! Excuse me!" Norma shouts.

The couple outside didn't seem to hear them at all, continuing on their way into room ten next to them.

"Hey! Help!" Norma continues to shout. Alex puts his hand over her mouth.

"They're gone." he tells her sadly, removing his hand from her face.

"What the hell? Are they deaf?" she asks, slumping against the wall with defeat.

"I guess we will just have to wait till morning." Alex concludes, laying back down.

"You should get some sleep too." he tells her, his eyes already closed. She slides down the floor to lay next to him, their hands hanging limply from their cuffs above their heads.

"I wish we could reach the lamp to turn it off." she mumbles, covering her eyes with her free hand. Alex doesn't reply, trying to fall asleep. He is about to fall into the darkness of sleep when his hand is yanked by the cuff, smashing it into the radiator. His eyes snap open to see Norma stretching from the radiator.

"What're you doing?" he asks.

"Trying to reach the blanket." she tells him, finally grabbing the fabric with her fingers and pulling it off the bed and onto herself.

"Want some?" she asks, already laying it on him. He ignores her again, closing his eyes. Not even a minute passed before she was talking again.

"My arm is falling asleep." she complains.

"Norma, please, just-"

Alex stops talking when a thump hit the wall next to them. He opens his eyes and looks to Norma who is looking back with confusion. The thump sounds again along with a moan, followed by squeaking. The thumps continue rhythmically and the moans grow louder.

"You've got to be kidding me." Alex hisses.

"Still? I mean they had a good fifteen minute sex session in the car. How are they not tired?" Norma complains.

"How old is he?" Alex asks, trying to talk over the thumping and shouting.

"Uh, 24 I think." Norma says.

"There's your answer." Alex tells her.

"How am I supposed to sleep?" she complains, covering her ears. Alex watches her squeeze her eyes shut, her brows knitting together with frustration.

And suddenly, the pounding stopped, along with the shouting.

"Thank you, Lord." Norma sighs with relief. She relaxes as much as she can with her cuffed wrist.

"Goodnight, Alex." she breathes out in a tired voice. Alex looks over at her peaceful face and can't help but smile at the beautiful sight.

"Night, Norma." he whispers back.

It wasn't until early morning that Norma woke up. She opened her eyes only to find herself laying on Alex's chest. Right before she could slip off of him, he woke up and found her resting on him.

"Sorry." she whispers, sitting up. He sits up next to her and stretches, rubbing the sleep away from his eyes. He looks over at her, appreciating her slightly messy hair and tired eyes.

"Alex, look!" she says, too energized for having just woken up.

"Hey! Dylan!" she shouts, pounding on the window. Alex sits up and turns to look out the window at Dylan who is looking around the front office.

"Hey! Help us!" Alex shouts, joining Norma. Dylan looks around with confusion, hearing the shouts. His eyes finally land on them and he walks to the room, opening the door and stopping with confusion.

"Do I even want to know?" he asks.

"The key is in the bathroom." Alex tells him. Dylan walks to the bathroom and grabs the key before walking back to them and handing it to Alex. He unlocks Norma's hand cuff before doing his own, both of them rubbing their sensitive wrists.

"Thank you, honey." Norma says, standing up to hug Dylan.

"Yeah." Dylan says, stepping toward the door. He glances back at them once more before walking out and shaking his head, mumbling something about how weird that was. Norma looks at Alex, her cheeks heating up at the sight of Alex's disheveled appearance.

"I should get ready for work." he says, standing up.

"Right. I should get to the house to make Norman breakfast." Norma says, wanting to run away from the room, away from the man that was making her feel strange things.

"Alright. Well, good morning then." he says. She nods and steps toward the door. She pauses before she leaves and glances back at him with a smile only to see him smiling right back at her.

She had wanted him to fuck her.

When she was drunk and he picked her up from the bar, that was what she wanted. That was the first time she had felt the pull to him.

It was first when she wanted him to fuck her.

But then she got greedy...and she wanted him to love her.

Tonight was the night that she first felt this feeling. Love. She thought she was independent and strong but she got one small taste of what real love was like and she craved more.

He could see her wheels turning in her head as she stared at him. Her smile began to fade and she began to look confused. He looked back at her, wondering what she was thinking.

Without another word, she disappeared from his sight, closing his door behind her. He shook his head and grabbed his work shirt, pulling it on, pausing when Norma's scent surrounded him. He sniffed the shoulder of his shirt and smiles when he realizes that her scent clung to everything in his room. She was everywhere. She was poison and he would drink every ounce of her.

 _I haven't edited any of this so I apologize in advance for any errors. It's really long but I hope you enjoy!_


	12. Chapter 12

With every throw, the red bouncy ball thumped once against the wall and came right back into Alex's waiting hand. He sat on the edge of his motel bed, rhythmically throwing the ball against the wall, a continuous thump sounding. He had just gotten his sling off and he needed to work his muscles in his arm again. It also gave him the chance to be alone with his thoughts.

Even after Alex's encounter with Norma, he couldn't help but repeat Bob's words in his head. Was she using him for protection? She had a bad habit of lying a lot and Alex knew she was a good liar. It was scary how good she was at lying right to someone's face.

She could be lying to him. She could have been lying about everything. About her husband, about her brother being abusive when they were young. He didn't know what to think anymore.

His door burst open and Alex looked up, the red ball held tightly in his hand. His dark eyes find their way to a pair of electric blue eyes that look a bit angry.

"Could you not do that?" she asks, glaring at the ball in his hand.

"It's been annoying me for the past fifteen minutes while I cleaned the room next door." she continues, pulling her cleaning cart into his room. He stands up, setting the ball on the dresser.

"You have to do that now?" he asks.

"It's regulation." she tells him, already stripping his bed.

"But this late at night?" he asks, glancing out at the dark sky. She ignores him and slips her cleaning gloves on.

He steps toward the door and pushes it to where it is only slightly open. He wanted the privacy but didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable.

"Hey, uh, I gotta ask you something." he begins, his heart racing.

"What?" Norma asks, glancing back at him while she puts new sheets on his bed.

"Uh...okay, well...I need you to tell me the truth. I don't want a story, okay? I know what your impulse is going to be, but don't do it. Just this once." he says, putting his hands on his hips.

"Just this once?" she asks with confusion.

"Alex, what's this about?" she asks, forgetting about her cleaning and focusing her attention on him. He looks away, her gaze too intense.

"Have you been talking to Bob Paris?" she asks.

"Yeah, I have been talking to Bob Paris." he says matter of factly. He glances up at her again before quickly looking away.

"How did your husband die?" he asks, staring at the floor.

"You know how he died. It was an accident in the garage. A heavy shelf fell on him." Norma says slowly. Alex sighs, shaking his head. He looks up at her, his eyes sad as he realizes what he needs to do.

"Last chance, Norma." he says softly, wanting her to tell him the truth.

"That is the truth." she tells him. He looks at her for a moment, trying to will her into giving into him. His sad eyes boring into her innocent yet guilty looking ones.

"Kay. Goodbye, Norma." he says, grabbing his car keys and jacket and walking out of the motel.

"Alex." she calls out to him with disbelief, thinking he will turn back around like he always does. But instead, he continues walking to his car.

"Alex." she calls out louder, thinking he hadn't heard her. She begins to realize that he is choosing not to turn around this time. He is serious about leaving.

"Alex!" she tries again, her voice turning desperate. She wanted so badly to tell him the truth about everything but she was afraid he would get Norman taken away from her. She couldn't risk that. So she let Alex go. She watched as he got into his car, his eyes finding hers one last time through the windshield before he pulled out of the parking lot and disappeared down the road.

Norma had just finished cleaning Alex's room when a black Mercedes drove onto her lot. She turned to look at the headlights as the car pulls up to where she is standing. The lights turn off and out steps Bob Paris himself wearing an expensive looking suit and a fake smile on his face.

"Norma Bates." he says, walking toward her. Norma glares at him, knowing he was the reason Alex had left.

"Mr. Paris. Need a room?" she asks.

"Not exactly." he tells her. She can feel her blood boil at even being near this man.

"I don't know what you told Alex, but it's not true." Norma says.

"I came to warn you." he tells her, stepping too close to her.

"You see, I had a private investigator do some research. Interesting case, your husband's death was." Bob says tauntingly. Norma can feel herself freeze with shock but she tries to keep her composure. She didn't want to show any signs of weakness.

"It was an accident." Norma says coolly.

"Norman has a bit of a history, though, doesn't he?" Bob asks.

"Norman had nothing to do with his father's death." Norma insists.

"I didn't say he did. I was speaking of his girlfriend's father...Officer Shelby-"

"That wasn't him." Norma interjects.

"My mistake. That was Alex Romero." Bob says with a smirk. She realizes that no matter what she says, she just keeps falling deeper into Bob's trap. She was right where he wanted her.

"Convenient." he adds.

"I've known Romero for a long time. Known his ways, how he is. I've noticed a weakness in him lately. That would be you.

"And i've come to realize that...if Alex doesn't do what I need him to do...it would be quite easy to get rid of him." Bob tells her, stepping even closer. Norma drops the tough guy facade and displays her fragile emotions. She couldn't help it. The talk of hurting Alex broke her.

"I-I'll give you the flash drive. I'll do whatever you want." Norma tells him.

"But you have to give me the assurance that you won't drag anyone else into this." she offers. Bob nods, looking into the distance as if thinking long and hard about her offer. He turns back to her, his gaze no longer fake friendly like it always is. Instead, it's hard and menacing, making Norma fear him.

"You don't get to call the shots anymore, Norma. Bringing me the flash drive would be in your best interest, though." he says with one eyebrow raised.

"But I think Romero may beat you to it. You had him wound pretty tight around your finger, didn't you? I think I opened his eyes." he tells her. He chuckles, his fake friendliness back.

"It's kind of funny, isn't it?" he asks.

"You think I'm the bad guy, but.." he trails off, his smile disappearing.

"I think you may be much worse than me." he tells her. She stares at him with shock, her breathing becoming labored. He steps back, obviously having said what he needed to say. He opens his car door and stops, turning back to her.

"Oh, and don't slip and fall into your pool. You might never get out." he says, an underlying threat to his tone. He finally gets into his car and drives away. Norma let's out a breath and falls back against the motel wall, slowly sliding down until she sits on the concrete, tears flowing down her cheeks. She can feel herself begin to hyperventilate as panic sets in once the fear of their encounter moves aside.

She grabs her phone and quickly dials Alex's phone number, holding it to her ear as she waits for him to answer.

"Come on, Alex. Pick up." she whispers. She had to make sure he wouldn't hand over the flash drive to Bob.

"Damn it!" she says when his voicemail enters her ear. She waits for the beep to leave a message.

"Alex I don't know what your deal is. But I need you to call me back. Right now." she says angrily. She takes a deep breath to compose herself before trying a different tactic.

"I...I'm sorry, Alex. For everything. I'm worried. Please just...just call me back, Alex."

She ends the message and stares at her phone, her patience wearing thin. She redials his phone number and tries again, hoping he will pick up this time but she was met again with his voice mail.

"Agh!" she shouts with frustration, wanting to throw her phone on the ground. She tries one last time but he doesn't answer. She stands up and dries her face before walking up to the house. She waits an hour before trying to call again but her luck doesn't change.

An hour after that, still nothing. She became worried. Was he ignoring her or was he in danger? It was probably the former but part of her feared the worst like she always did. Perhaps it was a mother thing to always think the worst.

The next morning, Norma calls him three more times while she made Norman breakfast. By the time she was finished with the food, she had decided that if he wasn't going to answer her calls, then she would just have to find him in person.

"Why haven't you answered any of my calls?" Norma asks, walking into the police station. Alex turns around and looks at her through the glass before glancing at his coworkers who are watching with interest.

"B-Because I don't want to talk to you, Norma." he tells her. She could feel herself begin to lose control on her anger.

"Whatever. You want to act like a third grade girl? Fine." she says. A police officer walks out of the room, opening the door to get into the glassed off part of the office. Norma quickly jumps to grab the door before it closes, letting herself in.

"You know what? I can't control the universe. I just need the stupid flash drive back." she tells him, walking to him. He looks around, becoming embarrassed as his coworkers surely assume what might be on the flash drive.

"Come here." he says, trying to keep his calm as he leads her out into the hallway.

"You need to keep your voice down right now." he tells her angrily.

"Okay I know you're upset with me but I don't care. It's not my job to make you like me. It's my job to get it back. Bob wins, I lose, I don't give a shit. Just give it to me." she tells him.

"You talked to Bob?" he asks. She pauses, knowing she shouldn't have brought that up.

"I just want out of this." she tells him, trying to avoid the subject. She didn't have time for Alex to get worked up about her safety.

He looked at her as if he were disappointed in what she said. Like he wanted her to say more but she didn't know what else to say.

"Well you're out of it. I'm taking care of it." he says, walking past her, his feelings obviously hurt.

"What the hell does that mean? How are you taking care of it?" she asks, making him turn back around to face her.

"You don't get to take care of it and not tell me what that means. I'm the one who gave it to you." she tells him.

"Well, live and learn, Norma. Be careful who you give things to." he says.

"And we're done talking about anything." he tells her, sounding annoyed. He turns on his heel and walks away without even a glance back at her. She was taken aback at his mood. He was never one to be short with her. Never one to make her feel unwanted.

For the first time, Norma felt afraid of Alex. Afraid of what he might do. She was afraid he might completely turn against her and side with Bob Paris. He had known Bob longer than he knew her. It was a very large possibility that she might lose all connection with the one person she thought she could trust.

She had to prepare for this possibility. Prepare for Sam's case to reopen. Prepare to be completely investigated. So she raced home and grabbed trash bags, going straight to the basement where Norman's animals were kept. She grabbed the dead animals, throwing them into the garbage bags with haste. The sooner these disappeared, the safer they would be.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Norman asks, appearing on the stairs.

"We are getting rid of all of this." she tells him, not stopping.

"Oh, no we're not. This is my work, okay? It's important-"

"Norman, do not fight me on this. It all has to go." she tells him. She didn't have time to discuss the situation and she certainly didn't have time for Norman's endless questions.

"Why? Why are you doing this?" he asks angrily. She sighs, knowing he won't let off until she explains.

"Because, Norman, someone might reopen the case about Sam's death." she says, clearing off the main table.

"And if we get investigated, then having a hobby that involves cutting up dead things is gonna look pretty weird."

"Because it will make me look bad? Sick? Crazy?" he asks rhetorically.

"I see." he says bitterly.

"Frankly, yes." she tells him.

"So you are just going to trash all of these things, these things that I love and that are beautiful? Because you're afraid of how I look?" he asks.

"Norman, you don't- you don't get it-" she says, turning to him. He grabs the knife from the table violently, glaring at her.

"I think I do get it!" he shouts. Norma freezes, fearing what he might do to her. He holds the knife up, switching it to his other hand.

"But you know who doesn't look so good in all of this? You, mother." he tells her, stepping closer to her.

"I have always taken your word for it when you tell me that I do these things I can't remember. But i'm not the one rummaging around in the basement. I'm not the one sleeping with the sheriff." he tells her. Her heart sped up at the thought of sleeping with Alex. She wondered what made Norman think she was sleeping with Alex. She wishes Alex were here right now. She was afraid of her own son. Alex would know how to handle this.

"And you can see how these thugs might get confusing, Mother. It makes me wonder. How do I know it wasn't you who killed my father?" he asks. He reaches up and cups her cheek, the action strangely unsettling. He steps back and begins walking out of the basement. It takes a moment for Norma to break out of her fear and call out to him.

"Y-You're...You're just...You are mad at me right now and you are trying to hurt me." she calls out, her voice becoming stronger as she continues to talk.

"And I don't care. Okay? I can't- I cant care. So just stay in your room." she says, going back to her work.

"I don't want you leaving this house until I know that we are safe, whether you like me or not." she shouts at him. He smiles, his face eerily calm.

"Of course, Mother." he says sweetly before walking the rest of the way out of the basement. She watches him disappear, wondering where she went wrong. How did her life change so dramatically that she is constantly fearing for her life with no one to trust? She wishes she had someone that would help her break free from her life. She wishes she could start over. Perhaps she would be more honest with Alex from the start. Maybe she would've gotten help for Norman sooner. There's so many things she could've done differently.

But she couldn't turn back time. She had to deal with what was dealt to her. She had to protect herself and her sons. So as soon as she finished with the basement, she would go to Alex's house to find the flash drive and take it straight to Bob Paris by herself.

 _I'm sorry for waiting so long to update. School just started and it's been keeping me busy. I hope y'all enjoy! XOXO_


	13. Chapter 13

Norma parked her car down the road from Alex's house. She knew Alex had work today so he wouldn't be home until late. She walked onto his porch and turned the front door. The knob stops before it can turn all the way. Locked.

"Damn it." Norma mumbles, looking around for a key. He didn't leave a house key lying around. Why would he? The only person who needed a key was him.

Norma removes her jacket, wrapping it around her right hand. She balls her hand up into a fist and punches the window on his front door as hard as she can. It doesn't budge on the first punch, but on the second punch, the glass shatters, allowing Norma to stick her hand through the broken window and unlock his door from the inside.

Normally, she would've felt bad for breaking his window, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Besides, she wouldn't have to break in if he had just given the flash drive to her when she asked for it.

She begins by digging through the moving boxes in his living room. She opened the first box, a framed photo on top. She smiles softly as she pulls out the photo of Alex as a young boy, hugging a beautiful woman with the same smile as Alex's. She had the same dark eyes framed by thick, long lashes. This woman had to be his mother.

She set the photo aside and pulled out a beautiful vintage looking dress with embroidered flowers along the bottom of the dress as well as on the sheer sleeves. It was the dress the woman was wearing in the photo. His mother's dress. This box must be what he has left of his mother after the fire. The next thing Norma pulled out was a small box. Norma had a feeling of what this might be but she opened it anyways, gasping once she sees what's inside.

The ring was beautiful; a large, circular diamond sitting upon a silver band. The large diamond was lined with small diamonds. It was an expensive looking ring.

Norma took it out of the box, wondering if this ring belonged to his mother or if Alex had a special someone that Norma didn't know about.

She quickly put the ring away, placing the dress and photo back into the box on top of it. She moves to the next box, trying to find the flash drive. Once she went through each box in the living room, she moved to what looked like his office, her patience wearing thin. He had so many boxes, so many places to hide such a small flash drive. She moved to the writing desk, shuffling through the papers on it. A book falls from the desk, landing next to her foot.

She slowly bends down and grabs the small book, opening it to find Alex's hand writing. Each page was filled with his writing, every thought and feeling written down onto the paper. She knew she shouldn't read it but stops when she sees her own name. It was dated just two days after they had first met on the motel porch.

 _Norma Bates was her name. I had heard about her in town but no one had spoken of how beautiful she is. Even with her hair tied back in a messy ponytail, she was striking. Though I am pretty sure she is a suspect in the Keith Summers case._

Norma chuckles at the last line. He could always read her all too well. She flipped through the pages again, stopping in a random spot.

 _I was quiet, but I was not blind. I could see that Rebecca was not interested in me as a person, but my title. It is power she is drawn to. This could be the end of something._

Norma had never even heard of Rebecca. Was he dating her? She glances at the date and is relieved to see that this entry was two years ago. She continues reading.

 _Everybody knows how to love but few people know hot to stay in love with one person forever. I still haven't learned. Perhaps because I know that the more you love someone, the more you'll be hurt in the end. Love is cruel. It smashes into you, leaves you raw. I'm better off alone. Times like these that I realize that I am caught between trying to live my life and trying to run from it._

Norma closes the book slowly, setting it back on the desk where she found it. She had no idea how much Alex truly felt. It was so easy for her to pretend like he wasn't human, like he didn't have feelings. Easier for him to be her protector rather than to think of him as someone she must protect.

Reading his thoughts has changed the way she looks at him. She feels the need to protect him now. Not from other things or other people, but protect him from himself.

No.

What she needed to focus on right now was finding the damn flash drive to save her son. She begins shuffling through the papers again when she hears Alex.

"You've gotta be kidding me." he says. She turns to see him holding a gun in his hands.

"My son isn't going to prison because some rich, perverted asshole killed two women. He doesn't deserve to be dragged into this." she says, going back to her work of looking for the flash drive. She didn't understand why Alex was so against helping her.

"And put your damn gun down. Like you're gonna shoot me? That'll be the day." she says, walking to a different place in the room to look.

"I hate you." he spits at her. Her heart breaks at the words but her anger was quick to respond.

"Well I hate you too. So what?" she spits back, turning back to the boxes and taking her anger out by searching through his things.

"Where is it? Where's the stupid piece of computer gear that's ruining my life?" she asks with frustration.

"I turned it into the DEA." he tells her, putting his gun away. The words hit her like a train.

"You what?" she asks with disbelief.

"It's becoming too much, Norma. I am sick of jumping through hoops to keep Bob Paris from burying you in the ground! I'm sick of trying to accommodate everything and everyone. I'm done." he tells her.

"How could you do this to me?" she asks, feeling like she might cry. She was helpless and that was a feeling she didn't like to have.

"Bob Paris is going to investigate my husband's death just to get back at me. I'm screwed! I'm li-I'm like totally screwed! How could you do this to me?" she asks. She had to leave. Leave town with Norman. Go off the grid and hide.

She began walking out of Alex's house when he grabbed her and pinned her against his wall. Norma gasped and tensed up, Alex's hands being replaced by every guy who has ever abused her.

Alex seems to notice because he loosens his grip a little but doesn't let her go completely. She looks into his eyes, seeing the hurt she has inflicted on him.

"Why'd you lie to me?" he asks.

"I didn't lie-"

"Oh come on!" he says, shaking her a little.

"Your husband didn't die in an accident. You know it and I know it. So just tell me the truth. For once in your life, Norma, just tell me the truth!" he shouts. She hesitates, feeling the tears form in her eyes. He's going to learn the truth and he will take Norman away and have Norma put in jail for covering up the murder. She won't allow it. She can't be away from Norman.

"I did it. I killed him!" she tells him, a last ditch effort to save her and her son.

"No, come on. The truth!" he shouts.

"He was abusive and I killed him. He was hurting me so I hit him over the head with a blender." she finishes.

"Stop lying to me!" he shouts, his voice cracking. She can hear the pain in his voice. He had been lied to and manipulated for so long by so many people.

"You know the truth don't make me say it." she cries, the tears freely falling down her cheeks. He reaches up and wipes her tears away with his thumbs, his forehead resting against hers as they cool down from their heated conversation. He knew everything. He always had known.

"Don't touch me." she whispers, trying to pull away.

"Don't push me away, Norma." he pleads.

"Please. Don't do it." he whispers. She can feel his hot breath on her throat, his eyelashes fluttering against her cheek. Her hands fall onto his chest, her fingers stroking his chest through his shirt.

"What's going to happen to me?" she asks softly.

"Nothing." he tells her surely.

"I won't let anything happen to you or Norman." he tells her softly.

His words had pulled at something within her. Whether it was her emotional state or the fact that he had said just the right thing, Norma leaned close to Alex. She pressed her lips against his, her hand holding the back of his neck. She pulled away for a moment, looking into his dark eyes before leaning back in and kissing him passionately.

This kiss was different than the last time they had kissed. Norma wasn't drunk and Alex wasn't afraid to kiss her back.

His tongue ran along her bottom lip, making Norma shiver, goosebumps rising all over her body. She opened her mouth, their tongues finally dancing together after months of anticipation. Alex slowly slid his fingers into her hair while she pulled him even closer against her.

All too soon, Norma pulled away, her eyes still closed. Alex watches her, the way her lips were parted and slightly swollen. Her eyes flutter open, looking right into his. Normally, they would quickly look away if their eyes caught each other. But this time, their gaze held. Things were different. Norma felt different. It scared her.

"I've gotta go." she whispers, slipping out from between him and the wall. He let her go, his body still frozen in shock of having kissed her. He walked into his house, despising her very existence. And now...he can't imagine life without her.

Norma hadn't seen Alex for a few days after that heated night. She didn't look for him and he didn't seem to look for her. Or maybe he had and Norma had unknowingly been avoiding him. Either way, things were still left in the air between them and she didn't know how to feel about it. She didn't know where she stood with him or what they were to each other now. Friends don't kiss, not sober anyways.

It was late at night, almost midnight, when Alex knocked on her door. He had just gotten off of work and already felt bad for knocking.

"Evening, Norma." he says once she opens the door. She smiles softly, wondering what he was doing on her porch.

"I...I just came by to...to give you this check." he tells her, handing her the check.

"For my stay. Now that the flash drive is turned in and...Bob Paris is out of the equation...well I was just going to go back home." he tells her, still holding out the check.

"Alex, i'm not taking that. What you did was...it was a favor. I can't accept your payment." she tells him. He slips it into the mail box on the wall of her porch and turns back to her.

"I haven't seen you around." he says awkwardly. He was just as confused as she was. He just didn't know how to begin the discussion of where they were with each other.

"Yeah." Norma says, leaning against the doorway.

"I-I just...the other night-"

"Look, Alex," Norma begins in a soft tone.

"Everything about that night was a mistake. Including our...our kiss." she whispers, looking around as if afraid someone might be eavesdropping.

"You caught me at a weak moment." she tells him, watching his heart break. She hated herself for pushing him away once again. It was what she did.

"I'm sorry. I uh...I didn't realize I was taking advantage of you." he says before turning around and walking away.

"Alex." she calls out, stepping onto her porch.

"It wasn't like that." she tells him. He ignores her and keeps walking, not wanting her to see the tears that fell down his cheeks.


	14. Chapter 14

Norma had kept busy with the motel and researching places for Norman to get help. She went up to Pineview earlier that day but it was expensive and she didn't have insurance to cover the cost. She was out of luck. As she was closing up the motel for the night, a pair of headlights light up where she is standing. She looks back and freezes when she sees Alex's car pulling onto the lot. She turns to face him as he steps out of his car. They both stand there for a moment, just staring at each other sadly. "I-I didn't come to apologize...for the flash drive. I did what I thought was the right thing and it was the right thing and I stand by it." he tells her. He came as Alex the cop. Not Alex, her friend. He didn't come to try to smooth things over between them. He came to gloat about turning in the flash drive. It made her angry. "Okay, thanks for coming by to tell me that." she says deadpan. Her tone seems to tug at something inside of him because his gaze turns sad and he looks away. "I am sorry I couldn't protect you. If I could change that, I would, but I can't. It's done. I wish it was different." he tells her sincerely. Her face softens and she nods. "It's not your fault, Alex. It's bigger than us." she tells him. He liked that she said us. He tried not to think too much about it, especially after she had shut him down last night. "It was my fault, anyway. I tried to hide it. And now it's coming out, and it's just too much to shove away." she tells him, looking at the large hole in the middle of her lot. Her eyes were wet when she looked back at Alex. "I'm not gonna lie. I'm so scared. He's my son and he's broken." she whispers, her emotions taking hold of her. He watches as she tries to stay strong in front of him. That's not what he wanted. He wanted her to break in front of him. He wanted her to feel comfortable enough around him to not feel the need to hide. "And he is the dearest boy that ever lived and...I just can't bare it, if Bob Paris has this thing investigated, if they take him away, if they put him in prison just for defending me." she tells him, her tears finally falling. Alex held on to every word that spilled from her lips, wanting to hear everything she has to say to him. "You know, it will kill me." she says with a firm nod. She felt lonely, trying to help her son all by herself. It was like she was struggling to keep her head above water as well as Norman's. "But I...you know, in some way, I don't even care anymore. Maybe fate wins here." she says, trying to regain her strength. She felt bad for laying all of this on Alex who didn't even ask to hear it. "I don't know, we're all doomed in the end, right?" she ask. He smiles sadly, knowing all too well the loneliness she is feeling. "Maybe." he says softly. "Probably." he adds with a small smile. She wipes the tears from her cheeks, her eyes looking anywhere but at Alex. He was watching her intently, afraid to blink because he didn't want to miss a single thing. He could admit, he was afraid to love her. She was a stunning mystery. She carried things deep inside of her that very few could understand. But Alex...he was like her in that aspect. He had been through a lot but it only pushed him to rise. Her eyes finally found him, their gaze as intense as the night of their heated argument. Alex knew better than to make a move. She was like a deer: one small move and she would go running. So he left it up to her. And he wasn't disappointed when she took a step toward him, her eyes glancing down to his lips and then up again. "I'm going to go up to the house." For a moment, he thought Norma was inviting him up. "But thank you very much for stopping by." she finishes. Alex hadn't felt so much emotional pain since his mother had died. He couldn't catch a break. He did so much for the woman and he couldn't get anything in return. He had so much love to give but she couldn't seem to learn to accept it. There was nothing more he could do for her, nothing he had left to give. It seemed like the best thing for him to do was to move on and try to forget about her. His momentary solution was always a bottle of scotch back at his house. He didn't feel the need to check up on Norma that night like he usually did. She would survive without him for one night. She would have to if he went through on his plan of forgetting about her. She wasn't his problem anymore, wasn't his job to protect her. His job is protecting the town. Norma Bates was no longer on the radar. At least that's what he had assumed. It was his mistake assuming that Norma Bates would ever be off the radar. His phone buzzed and lit up just as he was pouring a glass of scotch. He grabbed it from the table and read Norma's name. He thought about ignoring it but knew better. If he didn't answer this time, she would call again and again and eventually, she would just show up at his house or place of work and he would talk to her then. "Hello, Norma." Alex answers tiredly. "Alex." she says into the phone. The sound of fear in her hushed voice made the hair on the back of Alex's neck stand up. "Norma?" he asks with worry. "What's wrong? What happened?" he asks, setting the bottle of liquor down onto the counter. "There's someone here. I-I-I think it's Bob. Or one of his men." she whispers. "Where are you?" he asks, already getting into his car. "I'm in my room. No one else is home. Alex they're in the house." she whispers. "Okay. Stay on the line. I need you to hide. Okay?" he asks, his lights and siren turning on while his speedometer quickly moves past seventy. "Okay. Okay, i'm under my bed." she tells him. "Okay. Be very quiet. Take deep breaths. Don't try to hold your breath, okay? I'm on my way." he tells her, trying to calm her. "They're right outside my room." she whispers. "Stay very still." he tells her, willing his car to go faster. He listens closely to her soft, ragged breathing. He wished he could protect her. He should never have moved out of the motel. If anything were to happen to her, it would be his fault. "Agh!" she squeals as she is dragged out from under the bed by her feet. "Alex! Alex, please! Help-" she shouts before a rag is stuffed into her mouth followed by a piece of tape, sealing her mouth shut. Tears fall from her cheeks, getting caught between the tape and her skin. One of the large men grabs her by her upper arm and smacks her across her cheek. "Norma? Norma!" Alex shouts through the phone. He can hear her pain filled shrieks through the phone, the sound breaking his heart. "Alex, Alex, Alex." Bob says through Norma's phone. "Bob, don't hurt her." Alex says angrily. "You shouldn't have gotten involved, Alex. You shouldn't have turned the flash drive over to the DEA. You weren't very smart about any of this." Bob says, watching his men drag the small woman down the stairs in front of her house. "Bob, please. Please don't hurt her." Alex begs, trying to stall. He was almost to Norma's house. "The damage is done, poor Alex. You won't be seeing Mrs. Bates again." Bob says, hanging up the phone. He walks to the trunk of his car where Norma lays, her hands and feet tied up with rope. Her large blue eyes stare up at him with fear, a large bruise already forming on her cheek. "Don't worry, Norma. Your boys are safe." Bob tells her. He leans toward her, a wicked smile on his face. "I'm afraid I can't say the same about you, though." And with that, he closes the trunk, locking her inside. By the time Alex arrived at Norma's house, everyone was gone. Alex rushed into the house, calling for Norma. He made his way throughout the house, quickly looking in each room before sprinting back out to his car. He thought things through as he peeled out onto the road. There was one thing Alex knew. Bob was in trouble. He knew about the flash drive being turned over, meaning he knew that he would end up in jail. He was fleeing and he took Norma with him as a punishment for Alex. If he was trying to run and hide, there was one place that Alex had a feeling he might go. So Alex raced toward the docks, hoping he was right about this. He didn't have much time to be wrong. "Put her over there for now. And hide her. We can't have people seeing her." Bob says as he and his men step onto the boat. "That'll be all." he says once they place her on the ground. The two men jump off the boat, leaving Bob alone with his bag of money and his hostage. "Don't worry, Norma. It's sunny where we're headed." Bob says, starting the engine. He walks to the cabin to grab his wind breaker but as he reaches for the handle, the door swings open. "Hello, Bob." Alex says, stepping out from the cabin. Norma sits up with surprise, her screams being muffled by the rag and tape. He looks at her with sadness before focusing back on Bob. "Alex." Bob says with surprise. "You scared the living hell out of me." Bob says casually. He glances down at the place in his jacket where his gun is kept. "No, no- don't, don't, don't. I'll put three bullets in you before you ever get your hands on that pistol." Alex says, reading Bob's thoughts. "Reach for it with just your thumb and forefinger." Alex instructs him. "Two fingers only. If I see any other fingers uncurled, I'm gonna shoot you." he warns Bob. Bob slowly reaches for the gun, handing it to Alex as instructed. Alex takes the gun and slips it into his pants. "What you got there? Run money and fake passports?" Alex asks, nodding to the bag by Bob's feet. "Pretty much." Bob says, grabbing the bag and tossing it at Alex's feet. "How'd you know about this place?" Bob asks. "About three years ago, I ran into Rick Hogshead down at the diner. We were shooting the shit and he told me he sold you his fishing boat. It was one of those moments where you reflect on your life. You know, cause I have always loved fishing but I could never afford a fishing boat. Not on a sheriff's salary. I found myself wondering, why I was the only guy not benefitting from all of the money floating around in this town?" Alex asks, glaring at Bob. "Coming with me?" Bob asks with hope. "No that's not how this is going to go." Alex tells him. Bob nods, realizing how Alex expects this to end. "What were you planning on doing with her?" Alex asks, nodding towards Norma. Bob smirks and shrugs. "I was just going to take her for a trip. I wasn't going to hurt her." Bob lies. Alex smirks and tilts his head. "Come on, Bob. You and I both know that's not true. You should've left her out of it. This was between you and me." Alex tells him. "Look, you take her, I leave. The moment I step off this dock, I'm a new person with a new name. And I have no reason ever, ever, to say something to anybody about my former life, especially...about Norma and her kid." Bob pleads. "The truth is, you're not reliable. You can change your name but you can't change who you are." Alex tells Bob. "I guess none of us can change who we are. We can pretend to be someone else...someone who is doing the right things for the right reasons-" "It doesn't matter what you say, you still killed those two girls." Alex tells him. "We both know why you're doing this and it isn't about those girls." Bob tells Alex. Alex glances at Norma, her wide eyes watching the scene play out with fear. "You know, right now you are more like your dad than you have ever been." Bob says with a smirk. "This is about you and your life. How does that feel? To have spent your whole life trying to get away from someone you hate, only to become them." As soon as Bob finished with his words, three bullets flew from Alex's gun, hitting Bob in his chest, stomach, and throat. Norma gasps and jumps at the loud sound as Bob's hands fly to his neck. The quiet night is then filled with the sound of Bob choking on his own blood. He drops to his knees and then falls back onto his back, Alex's sad eyes watching him the entire time. Once Bob is limp, his eyes vacant, Alex looks to Norma whose eyes are watering once again. He rushes to her stopping when Norma flinches away from him. He slows down, kneeling in front of her, his dark eyes looking into her bright blue ones. His fingers lightly brush the bruise on her face, wishing he could've prevented it. He slowly grabs the tape and peels it away from her face. He grabs the rag and pulls it out of her mouth, tossing it aside. Her tied up hands grab the back of his neck, pulling him toward her. Their lips press against each other, hesitantly moving together. Alex didn't know what to think, afraid that if he kissed her too much, she would push him away. So he pulls back before he gets rejected once again. "I-I don't want to take advantage of you." he whispers. She pulls him against her again, her hands pulling at his shirt with need. "I'm sorry." he whispers, pulling away again. "I just don't want to be pushed away again." he tells her. She shakes her head, willing her mouth to work. "I'm sorry." she finally manages to say. "I don't want to push you away. I do like you, Alex. It's scary and I wanted to run from it. But every time I get scared it's you I call. Every time I hear a joke, even when you're not around, it's you I look for. And i'm sorry I hurt you over and over again. "But I don't want to die without...without having given us a chance. You were all I thought about when they pulled me out from under the bed, when they pushed me in the trunk, when they threw me onto this boat." she rambles, her fingers still wound tightly in his shirt. "Norma, I need to hear you say the words." Alex tells her. He wouldn't be led into another trap that she could slip out of by placing the blame onto him. "I want to try it out. Being with you." she says shyly. "Slowly, though. I'm not good at relationships." she adds. He smiles and nods, placing a kiss on her mouth before moving to untie the rope around her wrists and ankles. "We have to clean this up first." Alex says, helping her up from the ground and turning to look at the dead body. "We're like Bonnie and Clyde." Norma mumbles as they grab each end of Bob's body. He glances up at her, his face serious. "Sorry." she says, knowing now wasn't the time to joke. "Just...just put him in the bottom of the bait well." Alex tells her. They lift him and carry him to the well, dropping him inside. "Now what?" she asks. "Now you get off the boat and take my car to your motel. I'll be there later." Alex tells her, handing her the keys to his car. "What? No, I'll just stay with you." Norma tells him. "Norma, go." he tells her, not budging. He grabs her hand and pulls her toward the edge of the boat near the dock. She sighs, feeling hurt from being pushed away. Alex didn't mean to be so rude, he just didn't like that Norma saw what she did. Before she could step off the boat, he grabbed her chin and placed a soft loving kiss on her lips. He pulls away and places another kiss on her forehead before pulling away completely. "See you at home." he tells her, walking away. She smiles, shakily making her way off the boat, her knees still weak from having kissed Alex so many times in under an hour. Yet she still wanted to kiss him so many times more. Her lips pull up into a smile as she realizes that she will have the chance to kiss him again. As long as he allows her to, she will kiss him for the rest of her life. This thought brought her peace. _Thought I would do a fast update. To the anonymous reviewer who said something along the lines of "either shit or get off the pot" I want to say thank you. If you leave some way of contact, I would like to learn more from you and hopefully improve my writing! xoxox_


	15. Chapter 15

She waited for hours, the sun slowly coming up over the horizon, signaling the new day has arrived. Norma became worried, her shoes clicking against her wooden floors as she paces the front porch.

It was chilly out but Norma didn't notice. Her entire focus was on waiting for Alex. She wasn't sure how he was planning on getting to her motel since she had his car.

Just as she was about to run inside and grab the keys to Alex's car to look for him, she saw him come into her view, walking toward her house on foot. She runs down the steps of her home to meet him in the gravel lot in front of her motel. She flung herself into his arms, relief filling her body.

"Are you okay?" she asks, pulling away from him.

"I'm fine. Let's go inside and talk." he tells her. They walk up the steps, Norma's ice blue eyes looking over him. He looked sweaty and dirty and tired, his flannel shirt only halfway tucked into his pants, the sleeves rolled up to his elbow. The hair on his arms was matted together with dried blood.

"You've gotta get cleaned up. I can't believe you walked through town looking like this." Norma says, ushering him into her house quickly.

"No one saw me. And if they did, they probably just assumed it to be fish blood. It's nothing unusual." he mumbles, still in shock of having killed his childhood friend.

"Sit here." she instructs, pulling out a chair from the kitchen table. He does as she says, watching numbly as she runs around, grabbing a towel and bowl of water before sitting in front of him much like she did when she cleaned his cut.

"I...I'm sorry, Alex. I can tell you're taking this hard." Norma says as she scrubs at his arms.

"It had to be done. He never would've let up." Alex tells her.

"But if I hadn't tried to negotiate with him-"

"You were doing it for your son. I should've been more prepared." Alex tells her. She looks up at him, placing her small hand inside his hand that rests on the table. She goes back to wiping away the blood, keeping her other hand in his.

"You know...I've liked you for a long time, Norma." Alex says softly, still not sure what they were to each other. Norma smirks and glances up at him.

"I know." she tells him.

"You do?" he asks.

"Yeah. I could tell. I mean you went pretty far out of your way to always protect me and my family." Norma says.

"Well it was my job." he defends himself.

"That's what you keep telling yourself." she teases. He chuckles and shakes his head.

"Okay so...so you like me back?" he asks.

"Of course I do, Alex. I just...I don't think we should tell people. Especially not Norman. Not yet, anyways." she tells him, grabbing his other arm to clean it.

"That's alright. We won't tell anyone." he agrees.

"To be honest, I'm just happy you're not pushing me away anymore." he says with a soft laugh. She smiles at him, rolling her eyes.

"Okay tough guy. Whatever." she tells him. She finishes cleaning the dried blood and puts the stuff away.

"I'll have to wash your shirt." she tells him, looking at the blood that covers it as well.

"No we should burn it." he says, already peeling the fabric off of his body.

"Okay. Well I'll grab one of Dylan's shirts." she tells him, walking up the stairs. When she comes back down, Alex is already kneeled down next to the fire place, poking at the burning logs.

"Here." she says, handing him the t shirt. Her eyes stare at the dark mark on his upper chest, her fingers lightly brushing over it.

"Pretty cool scar, huh?" he says, looking down at his gun shot wound. Her thumb outlines the scar, making goosebumps rise on Alex's body.

"I'm sorry." she whispers, still feeling guilty about him getting shot because of her. He cups her cheek, resting his forehead against hers.

"Norma, you didn't pull the trigger. It wasn't your fault." he tells her. She nods, leaning into his touch. Before they could get too comfortable, they heard the front door open. Norma quickly steps away while Alex struggles to pull the shirt over his head.

"Mother?" Norman calls out, stepping inside with Emma.

"Hi, Norman. Hey, Emma." Norma says, walking to them, leaving Alex in the living room.

"What's the sheriff doing here?" Norman asks, looking over Norma's shoulder at Alex.

"I was just leaving." Alex says, walking toward them.

"I'll uh, I'll talk to you later probably." Alex tells her.

"Okay. Bye, Alex." Norma says casually. He glances once more at Norma before walking out.

"Why was he here?" Norman asks again.

"He just came by to...pick up his laundry. From when he was staying at the motel." Norma lies smoothly.

"He's not staying anymore?" Emma asks.

"I'm not sure." Norma says, knowing he might want to move back after what happened last night.

"Well Emma and I are going to the movies. We stopped by to grab my wallet." Norman tells her.

"You should come with." Emma adds, earning a look from Norman.

"Maybe. What movie?" she asks, really wanting to take her mind off of things.

"There's a new horror film in the theater a few towns over. The one with the candy Emma likes." Norman tells his mother.

"Alright, i'll go. Sound fun." Norma says with a smile.

"Let me just change my clothes and we can leave." she tells them, walking up the stairs.

"Why did you invite my mother?" Norman asks.

"She looks like she needs a night out." Emma says casually. She turns to look at Norman and grins.

"Did you see the sheriff?" Emma asks in a hushed tone.

"What about him?" Norman asks.

"He didn't walk out with any laundry. And he was wearing one of Dylan's shirts." Emma says as if it were obvious.

"So?" Norman asks, already not liking where this was going.

"So...do you think they're involved?" Emma asks.

"My mother? And the sheriff? No. No they can't be. I would know." Norman tells her.

"Would you?" Emma asks, still smiling. She liked the thought of Norma finding happiness. She liked thinking that Norma could change the stoic man that Alex had always been. Bring happiness to such a sad man. If anyone could do it, Norma could.

"Yes, Emma, I would know. And she isn't." Norman snaps at her. Emma could tell he didn't want to gossip about his mother so she kept her mouth shut, both teens patiently waiting for Norma.

As soon as she came down the stairs, they left, knowing the drive would take a bit and the movie was due to start soon. When they got to the theater, their first stop was made at the concession stand.

"I'm going to go grab some napkins." Norma says, leaving them at the concessions to walk across the lobby to get napkins.

"Hey." a man says, walking up behind Norma.

"Hello." Norma says politely, grabbing the napkins.

"I just...I saw you from across the lobby and, well, you're so sexy. I just had to tell you." he says, his green eyes looking her up and down.

"Thanks." Norma says, trying to walk around him. He side steps, blocking her path, trapping her between him and the wall.

"What do you say, you and I skip the movie and have our own fun in my truck?" he asks, his hand running down her side.

"My husband...he should be here soon." Norma stutters, squirming beneath this man's touch.

"He doesn't have to know. Don't worry, baby." he says, pressing his hips against her. Norma squeezes her eyes shut, trying to stay calm. Next thing she knew, the man was torn away from her. She opened her eyes to see Alex standing between her and the man. The man was considerably taller but Alex was stronger.

"Take your hands off of my wife." Alex roars angrily. The man's eyes widen as he backs away from Alex before quickly walking out of the theater.

"What just happened?" Emma asks as she and Norman walk up to Alex and Norma.

"Just...some douchebag thought he could take advantage of me. But Alex stepped in and ran him off." Norma says, glancing at Alex who is staring at her with worry.

"Did you invite the sheriff?" Norman asks accusingly.

"N-No. I didn't, actually." Norma says, turning to Alex.

"Uh, I-I just came to see a movie. I come here because I usually don't see people from town." Alex explains truthfully.

"Are you here with anyone?" Emma asks.

"No." Alex tells her.

"Isn't that kind of pathetic?" Norman asks.

"Norman." Norma snaps. Alex smirks at Norman, knowing he is only trying to get under Alex's skin.

"What movie are you seeing?" Emma asks. Alex looks down at his ticket, having bought a ticket to the first movie on the board.

"The Haunting in Connecticut." he reads before looking back up at them.

"Us too. You should sit with us." Emma says, looking between him and Norma. Alex looks to Norma as if asking permission.

"Yeah, sure." Norma says casually.

"Okay." he says with a nod, trying not to sound too excited.

"We don't want to miss the beginning." Norman says, already walking away from the group. Emma hurried to catch up with him while Alex and Norma trail behind.

"Did you follow us?" Norma asks, glancing at him. He chuckles and shakes his head.

"No, I really didn't. How was I supposed to know you go three towns over to see a movie?" he asks.

"Well this one has the candy Emma likes." Norma says, remembering what Norman told her earlier.

"Ah, I see." Alex says as they walk into the dimly lit theater. Norman sits on the end, followed by Emma and then Norma, leaving Alex on the other end.

"So what's this movie about?" Norma asks.

"This family moves into a new house to mitigate the strains of their son who has cancer-" Emma begins.

"Oh so it's one of those films?" Norma asks, feeling better about it.

"The title made it seem like a scary movie." Norma says with relief. She could almost never handle scary movies.

"I would've had nightmares for weeks." she says with a laugh.

"Norma, it is a scary movie." Alex whispers to her.

"What?" she whispers with fear. Before they can talk any more, the movie begins.

"Shit, shit, shit." Norma whispers quietly, sinking into her seat. Her hands gripped the armrests on either side of her seat, her knuckles turning white.

Alex glances over at her, realizing how close his hand is to her thigh. His mind couldn't concentrate on anything other than the thought of how soft her skin probably is. His eyes could've burned a hole through her long porcelain legs that stick out from her dress which ends just above her knee but sits further up on her thigh now that she is seated.

There was a loud noise in the movie and Norma jumped, her hand flying out to grip Alex's thigh.

His hand covers hers, giving it a light squeeze which distracted Norma from the movie and ultimately calmed her down. Out of the corner of Norma's eye, she can see Emma looking over at her hand which is resting in Alex's.

Norma quickly pulls their hands off of Alex's leg, hiding them beside her thigh, out of Emma's view.

Alex's thumb rubbed the skin of Norma's hand soothingly. Norma occasionally glanced at Alex who always seemed to be staring at her. His intense gaze made her hot, her skin feeling like it's on fire.

Before she knew it, the movie was over and the lights came on. Norma quickly pulled her hand out of Alex's and stands up. They walk out of the movie theater behind Norman and Emma.

"So I have to drop Emma off at home." Norman tells Norma.

"Okay." Norma says.

"Well maybe you could ride with the sheriff. Since you're both going to the same place." Emma offers. Norma opens her mouth to decline but Alex beats her to it.

"Yeah, that's...that would work. That's a good idea." Alex says, glancing at Norma.

"Oh. Okay." Norma says.

"We'll see you later then." Emma says with a slight wave.

Alex leads Norma outside into the cool air. He guides her to his car by placing a hand on the small of her back. It isn't until they are both secured inside the car that Norma breaks the silence.

"So you're back at the motel?" she asks.

"I think it's best after what happened last night." he tells her.

"I just...I felt so helpless all the way at my house. If I had been there with you then maybe..." he trails off, staring ahead at the road while his grip tightens on the wheel. Norma places a hand on his thigh.

"You couldn't have known, Alex." she tells him.

"It was just bad timing." she adds.

"I need to teach you self defense." he tells her, looking over at her.

"You seem to attract men who want to hurt you." he says with a smirk.

"Well I attracted you, didn't I?" she asks, squeezing his thigh.

"I'm not someone to be worried about." he tells her, his hand releasing the steering wheel to cover her hand on his thigh.

"I beg to differ. You seem to run to danger." she says, staring out her window at the night sky.

"I'm always worrying about you, Alex." she adds quietly, glancing over at him. He doesn't know what to say, this new information shocking him. He didn't think Norma ever even thought about him, let alone worried about him. He pulled onto her lot, stopping the car in front of the motel office.

"I guess you'll need the key again." she says as they get out.

"It would be helpful." he says, following her into the office. She grabs the key from the hook and turns around to see Alex standing right behind her, leaving very little space between them.

His hand reaches up and cups her cheek, his thumb rubbing her soft skin while she leans into his touch and gazed up at him through her lashes.

"You look very beautiful tonight." he tells her quietly. She smiles, her teething taking hold of her bottom lip.

"Are you going to kiss me?" she asks cheekily. He chuckles and shrugs.

"I might." he tells her. She laughed and grabs the back of his neck, pulling him down to meet her halfway. Their lips move against each other gently, the kiss starting off innocent. It quickly begins to escalate as Norma's tongue skims his bottom lip. Alex pushes her against the desk, trapping her with his hips. Her fingers take through his thick hair, quickly losing touch with reality.

"Before this gets any more awkward," Dylan begins, making both of them gasp and pull apart. They turn around to find Dylan in the back of the office with papers in his hand.

"I just wanted to let you guys know that i'm here." he finishes.

"Dylan, I-I-Im sorry. What you saw was...it was.." Norma says quickly, her mind racing while her cheeks burn red.

"Spontaneous. And out of character for us both." Alex finishes, helping Norma out.

"Right. Totally one time thing." Norma says.

"I'm pretty sure I heard what I heard and saw what I saw." Dylan says with a smirk. Norma glances at Alex before looking back at Dylan.

"Uh, i'm just going to go...to my room." Alex says, grabbing the keys from the desk and leaving the office.

"How long?" Dylan asks.

"I-I don't know what you're-"

"Are you dating? Should I make an effort to get to know the guy? Or are you just..." he trails off. Norma sighs and covers her eyes with her right hand, trying to hide her embarrassment. She felt as though she had just been caught by her parents.

"It...well it's been...you know, we've been flirting for a bit. But it's new. Yesterday in fact. But...it's different from everything else. He...he is different from everyone else." Norma explains, trying not to sound cheesy.

"So...relationship?" Dylan asks, trying to clarify.

"I like him. A lot." Norma tells him confidently.

"For now." Dylan says. She glares at him, shifting her weight onto her right foot.

"Why do you have to do that?" Norma asks, becoming frustrated.

"Come on, Norma. It's what you do. You love to be loved. You put all this love in to someone and when they get too close, you run." he tells her.

"I do not. How dare you accuse me of that!" she says, pointing her finger at him.

"I'm just saying the truth, Norma." he tells her.

"You know what? I don't need this. Okay? I don't need your approval. Alex and I...we are fine. And I am not running. Not this time." she tells him.

"Whatever, Norma. Just don't come crying to me when it doesn't work out." Dylan says, walking around her. She follows him out of the office, watching him walk towards the steps in front of the house. Once he disappears inside, Norma walks straight to Alex's room. She walks in without knocking and catches Alex brushing his teeth.

"I'm not running, Alex. I will let you get close and I am not going to run." she tells him.

"O-Okay." he mumbles, his words being morphed by the toothbrush in his mouth.

"I just wanted to tell you that." she tells him. He spits out the tooth paste and rinses his mouth before turning to Norma and taking her in his arms.

"I'm glad you're not going anywhere." he tells her.

"Because I don't want you anywhere but right here." he adds, placing a kiss on the crown of her head. She smiles and pulls away, placing a kiss on his lips.

"I'm going to go to bed. I'll see you in the morning." she tells him, walking out.

"Norma?" Alex calls out as she reaches his door. She glances back at him.

"If you have any nightmares, you know where to find me."

 _Slowly but surely making updates. I'm not giving up on this story, I promise! I just started a new job on top of going to school. But I will always make time for Normero! XOXO_


	16. Chapter 16

Alex hadn't stayed at the motel very long, no more than a few days. Once he felt sure that Norma was safe, he went back to his own home, much to both of their dismay.

Norma had just gotten home from the grocery store when Norman bursts into the kitchen sweaty and out of breath. They stare at each other for a moment and Norma suddenly fears the worst. Every time he comes home sweaty and out of breath, it's usually because he blacked out. The possibility that he had just killed someone was very likely.

"Where have you been?" Norma asks slowly, setting the groceries down.

"Just down at the motel office. Did you hear about Emma?" Norman asks, walking into the kitchen.

"No. What happened? Is she alright?" Norma asks, fearing the worst.

"No. I mean yes! She's fine. Great actually. She's getting a lung transplant later this week." Norman tells her.

"She is? Oh, that's great!" Norma says with a smile. That young girl deserves everything in the world.

"Are you two celebrating?" Norma asks, putting the groceries away.

"No. We aren't together anymore." he says casually. Norma turns to him, her face sympathetic.

"Honey, i'm sorry." she says, going to hug him.

"Don't be. It was mutual. We are still friends." Norman says, stepping out of her hug.

"Oh." Norma says, going back to putting the groceries away.

"Can I talk to you?" Norma asks, turning back to her son.

"Yeah." he says with a shrug.

"Okay. Come on." she says, guiding him to sit on the couch in the living room.

"I'm worried about you." she starts off.

"I know." he says, placing his hand in hers.

"I mean, you know, the black outs are getting worse."

"Right but we have it under control, okay? You know, I don't go to school anymore, I don't drive, it's...I'm really just mostly here." he says with a smile.

"I know, but I think that you need help...help that I cannot give you." she tells him. He stares at her in silence for a moment, thinking it over.

"What kind of help?" he asks.

"Like...like real doctors." she tells him. He gets a sort of scared look on his face, images run through his head of men in white suits strapping him to a table and sticking him with needles.

"I'm not always going to be in this world, Norman. You're going to out-live me, and I want you to be safe." she tells him. She can see the tears that spring to his eyes as he listens to her.

"There are things that we can do. There's, uh, there's therapy, there's medications...you know? I, uh, we never really looked into it. I...It's-It's...I think it's something that i've been scared to do." she explains, her throats becoming thick with emotion as tears form in her eyes.

"But...I'm more scared not to." she says softly, ignoring the fear that runs down her cheek.

"These places can help us. They'll help." she adds, noticing the betrayed look on his face.

"Places?" he asks.

"It's not like that, Norman. It's not what you're thinking. They're not horrible. They're actually very pretty." she tells him.

"You've been to one?" he asks, not bothering to hide the hurt and betrayal in his voice. Alex had taken her to visit some of the places last week when she had mentioned looking for help. He was very informative, knowing a lot about each place because of his own mother who spent her time in the institutions.

She doesn't answer him. She doesn't have to. He knows that she had been doing research on her own and he felt like he couldn't trust her anymore.

"I'm glad we had this little talk of yours. I see where we stand. You've given up on me." he says, standing up. He begins to walk out of the room.

"That's not true!" Norma calls out to him.

"Norman, it's exactly the opposite." she says, following him to the staircase.

"I'm trying to help you." she says, watching him run up the stairs.

"Norman?" she calls out as he ignores her and walks to his room, slamming the door shut. She sighs and leans against the banister, her heart breaking. She grabs her phone from her pocket and walks onto the front porch, dialing Alex's number. He answers her call on the third ring, his voice sounding tired.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Alex." she says softly, feeling better already after hearing his voice.

"Hey, Norma. Is everything alright?" he asks. She sighs and leans against the front door as she stares down at her motel.

"I talked to Norman about Pineview." she tells him.

"And?" he asks.

"He didn't take it very well. He thinks I'm giving up on him. I don't know, maybe he's right. Maybe I need to try harder-"

"No, Norma. You're doing the right thing by getting him help. This is just too big for any of us to handle. We don't know what's wrong with Norman." he explains to her.

He listens to her silence, her breathing just barely audible over the phone.

"You're a good mother, Norma." he adds, making her smile.

"Why are you so good to me?" she asks, feeling giddy.

"Hell if I know." he adds jokingly. She laughs and shakes her head, just wanting to be near him.

"I gotta get back to work but...I'll call you later." he tells her.

"Okay." she says, feeling sad.

"Uh, I...I miss you." he tells her. She smiles widely, feeling giddy once again.

"I miss you too, Alex." she says softly, not wanting anyone to overhear.

"Bye." he says.

"Bye." she replies before hanging up.

She stays on the porch for a few minutes longer, just enjoying the nice weather. Dylan's truck pulls into the lot, stopping next to Norma's. Dylan hadn't been around since the night he caught her and Alex kissing.

She stares at him curiously before moving away from the house and towards his truck as he steps out.

"Hey, Norma." he greets her, shoving his keys into his front pocket.

"What're you doing here?" she asks, stepping onto the gravel.

"I just...I want to apologize. About the other night with you and Alex. I was really stressed and...I'm sorry. I hope you're happy with him." he tells her. She begins to smile, looking into his blue eyes that were almost the same color as her own.

"Thank you, Dylan." she says softly.

"I...I know Romero's a great guy. But I'm still going to have to have a talk with him." Dylan adds with a smirk. Norma laughs and hugs Dylan.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" Norma asks, pulling away.

"I can't tonight. I've got plans with Emma." he tells her.

"Emma?" Norma asks with surprise.

"When were you planning on telling me?" she asks with a smile. He chuckles, suddenly becoming bashful.

"I guess this is me telling you." he says, blushing right red.

"Okay." Norma says, not bothering to hide her happiness.

"I gotta go. I just came by to apologize." he says, retrieving his keys.

"Okay. I love you, Dylan." Norma tells him.

"Love you too...mom." he says, making her beam. Before she can hug him again, he is getting back into his truck. She stays where she is, watching him pull away from the motel and drive away.

Norma takes her time walking back up to the house, her emotions all over the place. She was happy about her relationship with Dylan but her relationship with her precious Norman was in jeopardy. She had to mend things with her dear boy.

But as she ascends the stairs, she can hear movement in his room. Not just footsteps but things being moved around. She quietly walks closer to his door, pausing for a moment to listen.

"Norman? What's going on?" she asks as she opens the door.

He quickly sits on his bed, acting as if he wasn't doing anything.

"Nothing." he says casually. She glances down at his feet where a suit case is sticking out from under his bed. His foot pushes the suit case further under the bed. She looks back at him suspiciously but he is still acting casual. Did he think she was dumb?

"What're you doing?" she asks. He drops the act almost immediately.

"I am leaving." he tells her, standing up to grab the suitcase. Her eyebrows shoot up with surprise.

"You're leaving?" she asks.

"Uh-huh." he says simply, setting the suitcase on his bed. She tries to calm herself, trying to to freak out.

"Well where are you going all by yourself?" she asks.

"Why do you assume that it's all by myself?" he asks, reopening his suitcase to continue packing.

"Where are you going? Who are you going with?" she tries again, watching him whirl around his room, throwing things into his suitcase.

"Will you please just stop talking to me like i'm insane?"

"Calm down." she says softly.

"Maybe you can get a mental institution on the phone and they can come early." he snaps at her, grabbing picture frames off of his dresser.

"Norman..."

"Mother this may be hard for you to believe, okay, but I don't need you. In many ways I think we've been horrible for each other." he says quickly as he stuffs more clothes into his bag.

"Uh huh, okay? I-I-I love you, yes, I will always love you, but if i've become too much of a burden for you, I just don't think we're good together. I don't think that we're healthy. Okay, I just think it would be best for us to separate." he continues to ramble, his face going red.

"Okay, Norman, we can separate, but that doesn't mean that you have to leave." she says calmly. He screams with aggravation.

"Just stop talking to me like that, okay? There's someone- there's this physical human being that's waiting for me and we are leaving together!" he shouts, shoving his suitcase shut.

"Norman-"

"Just stop patronizing me! You're awful!" he shouts, walking past her with his suitcase.

"I'm leaving with Bradley." he tells her, walking down the stairs.

"Who's Bradley? What're you talking about?" Norma shouts, giving up on trying to stay calm. He turns around halfway down the stairs case to look up at her.

"Mother there really is something wrong with you. We talked about this. Bradley Martin? Remember, outside the motel? Or are you just trying to drive me even more insane?" he asks. Her heart drops as she realizes he must've blacked out again.

"Bradley Martin has been dead for years now. She committed suicide." Norma says softly, walking down to where Norman is standing.

"Well then how do you think she is in the motel, huh? She can't be dead." he tells her.

"Well you knew she was there, you can't deny that." he adds, turning away from her.

"Okay, I am not letting you leave this house." she says, grabbing his suitcase. She tries to pull it out of his hands but he uses all of his force to pull her forward, making her tumble down the stairs along with the suitcase. She hits the bottom with a groan, her head pounding from having hit one of the stairs on the way down. Norman runs down after her but only to retrieve the suit case. He didn't even check to see if she was okay.

"Norman? Norman, please, stop." she says, watching him stand up with the luggage. She grabs the nearest object, which happened to be the metal doorstop, and swings it at him, hitting the back of his head and knocking him out. She stares down at his peaceful face, tears running down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry." she whispers, brushing his hair away from his forehead. She stands up and grabs his feet, dragging him down the hall. When she gets to the basement door, she grabs under his arms so that he doesn't hit his head on each stair as she drags him down into the basement.

Once she lays him on the ground, she looks around for anything she can use to confine him. She finds a thick ribbon on the desk and grabs it, tying it tightly around his hands. She grabs another piece of the ribbon and ties it around his feet as tight as she can.

Once she is sure that he won't get out, she runs back up the stairs and closes the door behind her, locking it with a key. She rushes to her purse to retrieve her phone. Alex had just gotten off work, according to her clock. Perfect.

"Hello?"

"Alex, come home as fast as you can." she begins as soon as he answers.

"Norman has completely gone out of his mind. And I'm just scared of him. I need your help." she tells him quickly.

"Okay. I can be there in about five minutes." he tells her.

"Okay thank you." she says before hanging up. She paces the living room, wringing her hands, as she awaits his arrival. She couldn't seem to stop moving. Her mind was racing as well as her heart. Her darling son, her dearest Norman was completely insane. He thought that Bradley Martin was alive.

Norma walks to the window for the fifth time, glancing outside. Only this time, she sees Dylan walking up the steps with Alex.

"Dylan." she says with relief.

She rushes to the front door, pulling it open just as they are reaching the front porch.

"Norma-" Alex begins.

"He's out of his mind." she whispers, closing the door behind them.

"I mentioned the institution, he went crazy. He said he was leaving. I had to stop him. I knocked him out and locked him up in the basement." Norma rambles all too fast. She holds out the key to the basement and Dylan takes it, walking to the basement door.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Alex asks, grabbing her chin with his thumb and forefinger.

"I'm okay. I only hit my head once on the way down the stairs." Norma tells him.

"What?" he asks with surprise.

"Well we had a little argument and I ended up falling down the stairs. I'm okay, Alex. Really." she tells him.

She pulls away from him and walks to the basement door, gazing down as Dylan reappears at the bottom of the steps, looking confused.

"He's not down here." he tells her.

She walks down to see for herself. She first sees the two ribbons strewn out on the cement floor before looking up at the open window.

"Oh, my god, he got out." she says, running to the window to look out of it.

"Where did he say he was going?" Alex asks, appearing in the basement.

"I- it's insane, Alex. He said he was leaving with Bradley Martin. She's dead." she says, turning back to them.

"He's completely lost touch with reality. What do we do?" she asks, beginning to cry again.

"Um...Bradley Martin isn't dead." Dylan says slowly.

"What're you talking about?" Norma asks. Is Dylan crazy too? Or is she the one who has gone mad?

"It didn't really happen." he tells her.

"What didn't happen?" she asks loudly.

"She was in trouble, and so she faked her suicide so she could disappear and get off the radar. I drove her to the bus stop when she left town." Dylan explains.

"So Norman could've actually left town with her?" Norma asks with fear.

"Yeah it's possible but...it's also true that he sees shit that isn't really there."

She shakes her head. How could her life have gone so wrong? They don't have much time. Norman could be anywhere by now.

"Okay, we gotta go find him."


	17. Chapter 17

They had spent all night driving around, looking all around town for Norman. They looked at the school, at Emma's house, even at Bradley Martin's old house. Alex had sent out a missing person for Norman and that was all they could do for now.

"Norma? Hey, wake up." Alex says gently, shaking her awake.

She sits up and looks around with confusion before realizing she was in the passenger seat of Alex's car which was parked outside of her motel.

"What? Did you find him?" Norma asks, sitting up and looking around frantically.

"No. No, I'm sorry. I think you should go inside and get some sleep. Dylan and I will keep looking for him." Alex tells her, his hand resting on her thigh.

Norma leans back and shuts her eyes, sighing with sadness. Her hand reaches up to cover her eyes as her chin trembles.

"We're going to find him. Okay?" Alex tells her, unbuckling his seat belt. She shakes her head, trying to hold back her tears. She blames her emotions on her lack of sleep. Alex gets out of the car and walks around to open her door. He gently pulls her out of his car, cradling her tightly against his chest.

"I won't stop looking." he whispers into her hair. Her hands grab his shirt tightly as she begins to cry. She had never felt so helpless.

"Yeah I did leave this number. He's been missing since last night." Dylan says into his phone as he walks out of the motel office. Norma and Alex look over at him curiously.

"Is he there with you?" Dylan asks.

"You found him?" Norma asks, stepping away from Alex toward Dylan.

"Is he okay?" Dylan asks, ignoring Norma.

"Yeah, he-he's my brother. Uh what-what town are you in?" Dylan asks.

"Oh thank god, thank god!" Norma says with relief.

"Where is he? He must be so scared. Can we go get him?" Norma asks.

"Hold on. Hold on." Dylan says to Norma before listening to the phone.

"Yeah, yeah, um...I'm sorry, could you hold on for a second?" Dylan asks before turning to Norma.

"He's in Willamette County in the hospital." he tells Norma.

"How long as he been there? Is he hurt?" Norma asks. Dylan ignores her, listening to the phone.

"What're they saying? What's happening?" Norma asks.

"Excuse me, hold on one sec." Dylan says to the phone. He puts the speaker against the palm of his hand.

"Someone found him lost, talking to himself. He's in a psychiatric unit." he says before putting the phone back up to his ear.

"What?" she asks with disbelief.

"We're on our way." Dylan says, hanging up.

"Okay. We're gonna take your car." Norma tells Dylan.

"No, we can't do that." Dylan tells her.

"What difference does it make?" she asks.

"We can take my car." Alex offers.

"I'm not going with you." Dylan tells them.

"What?" she asks with surprise.

"I'm going to Portland. Emma's lung transplant is this morning." he tells her. Norma's expression softens as she nods.

"O-Okay. I hope she's okay." she tells him, kissing him on the cheek.

"Me too. Be safe, Norma, okay?" he asks.

"Mm-hmm." she says with a nod, watching him get into his car and drive away.

"Don't worry." Alex tells her. She nods, still gazing at the back of Dylan's truck as it disappears down the road.

"You ready to go?" Alex asks, drawing Norma's attention back to him.

"I-I don't think you should come with." she tells him gently.

"I just...I don't know how Norman would take it. And he's already so overwhelmed, I just-"

"It's okay, Norma. You don't have to explain it to me. You go. I'll...I'll call you. Or you can call me." Alex says, feeling embarrassed for having invited himself. Norma senses his unease and grabs the back of his neck, her fingers brushing the ends of his hair.

"I'll call you as soon as I find out what's going on. Thank you, Alex." she says with a smile. He nods, not being able to make his mouth say words because he was too lost in her right blue eyes that stared passionately into his.

She leans up and closes the distance between them, placing a soft kiss on his lips. His hands sit gently on her waist, his thumbs rubbing her hips.

"Don't be gone for too long, Mrs. Bates." he mumbles against her lips. She smiles and pulls away slightly to look into his eyes.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Sheriff." she replies before pulling away completely.

"Uh, just curious, how long do you think we should keep this a secret from Norman?" Alex asks.

"I...I don't want to talk about right now, Alex." she tells him in a tired voice.

"Okay. But we can't keep pushing this away-"

"I know. I know. Just...not now." she tells him, opening her car door. He nods, digging his own keys out of his pocket.

"Yeah. Fine." he says, sounding upset. Before Norma could say anything, he got into his car and started to drive away.

The drive to the hospital was rather long but Norma spent the entire time practicing what she might say to Norman and how she would act. She didn't want to seem too overbearing but she also wanted him to know that she cared.

When she walked in, the sight was worse than she had imagined. The lights in the halls were dim and the place was so full that there were patients in the hallway strapped to beds. Norma walks up to the receptionist area and knocks on the glass, looking for someone to help her.

"Hello?" she calls out, knocking on the glass again. She sees a hispanic looking woman appear behind the glass looking at her.

"I need to get my son. It's urgent." Norma tells the woman.

"Name?" the woman asks in a bored tone as she sits at the computer.

"His or mine?" Norma asks.

"His." the woman says as if it were obvious.

"Norman Bates." Norma answers. The woman types things into the computer before nodding and turning back to Norma.

"Ah. Well you can't get him. He's under 48-hour observation.

"Who's in charge here? I need to talk to his doctor right now. Come on." Norma says, hoping that if she pushes enough, they will just bend the rules a little bit and let her speak to Norman.

"Yeah, sit down. Take a seat." the woman says.

"Please." she adds as an after thought.

Norma sighs and slowly turns around taking the chair across from where she is standing. She glances around, taking in her surroundings. Each patient was strapped to a bed, some were asleep, some were pulling against the restraints, one was even singing. It definitely wasn't a place for Norman to be.

Her poor baby boy must feel so alone. He just needs his mother. After what felt like forever, a woman finally walks up to Norma.

"Norman Bates' mother?" the woman asks.

"Yes." Norma says, standing up.

"I'm the one in charge. You asked to speak with me?" the woman asks.

"Yes, that's right. I just-"

"Let's go to my office." the woman says, walking past Norma. Norma quickly grabs her things and follows this woman down the hall and into an office.

"Do you know how long i've been sitting out there waiting to talk to you?" Norma asks as they enter her office and sit across from each other.

"This is a county facility." the woman says from behind her desk.

"We're underfunded and overcrowded. If you want to complain to someone, call your county commissioner." the woman says blandly while she retrieves some papers. She spreads them out on her desk and looks up at Norma.

"Now, i've got a few questions for you about your son. He was found in a field in a state of unconsciousness and talking to himself. He was extremely agitated and violent. The farmer was afraid he might be dangerous. Have you ever known him to be dangerous?" the woman asks.

"No. Not of course not. No, he is very sweet. One of the sweetest boys who've ever lived. He just...he has these blackouts." Norma explains.

"Who's his doctor?" the woman asks casually as she fills out the forms.

"He doesn't have one."

The woman looks up from the papers with surprise.

"He has blackouts and you've never taken him to see a doctor?"

Norma could feel the judgement in the woman's voice and she didn't like it. She wasn't a bad mother.

"He fainted at school once. They took him to a hospital. They ran some tests but didn't find anything." Norma says defensively.

"But he has regular blackouts."

"Well...I mean...it depends on what you mean by regular." Norma says.

"More than once a year?" the woman asks. Norma pauses, knowing she should've done something sooner. She feels guilty for not having taken Norman's issues more seriously.

"Yes." Norma says quietly. The woman stares at her for a moment longer before going back to writing on the papers.

"You know, I didn't let him get his driver's license." Norma says, attempting to repair her reputation this woman has of her.

"And he has no doctor. And he's never been tried on any medication?" the woman continues.

"No." Norma says, knowing she just buried herself deeper into the hole she dug.

"Are you a Christian Scientist?" the woman asks.

"No."

"Okay." the woman says, collecting the papers.

"Thank you for the information." she says, placing them into a file.

"Can I take him now?" Norma asks.

"No you cannot. He is under observation."

"Can I at least see him?"

"Not until he has been assessed." the woman says, placing the file into a cabinet.

"He is my son. What right do you have to tell me that I can't see my own son?" Norma asks, becoming angry.

"Your son is legally an adult who is quite possibly mentally ill and dangerous. The time for you to take care of him was before this." the woman says harshly.

"If and when we need you, we'll contact you." the woman says before walking out of the office. Norma stays in her seat for a moment, feeling as though she might cry.

She had to do something but she had no power. So she went to the one person who might have a chance to change something about the situation.

"Alex." Norma says, stepping out of her car in front of Alex's house. He had just walks outside and looked like he was heading for his car.

"What is it? What happened?" Alex asks with worry, seeing Norma's tear stained face.

"They put Norman on some sort of medical hold. They won't let me see him. They said that he's 18 and that I have no rights." Norma tells him.

"And you're here to see me because?" he asks. She could hear the attitude in his voice but decided to ignore it.

"I need you to get him out." she says as if it were obvious.

"Norma, I-I...Im not magical. I've got nothing to do with Willamette." he tells her.

"Yeah, but you're the sheriff. Don't you know someone? Can't you pull some strings? Threaten someone? Beat someone up in the parking lot?" Norma rambles on, feeling desperate.

Alex pauses, realizing how serious she was about this. She doesn't ever condone violence and definitely doesn't endorse it. Not unless she was really passionate about something.

"How longs the hold?" he asks.

"48 hours-"

"Okay then you're going to have to wait 48 hours." he tells her. She looks at him with disappointment. It was a look that he didn't like being on the receiving end of.

"Look, my experience is that, in the vast majority of cases, after 48 hours they're going to release him." he tells her confidently.

"Well, what am I supposed to do until then?"

"You wait on it and pray. If you do pray. I...gave that up a long time ago." he ends softly as if confessing a dark secret.

"I...I got to get to work." he tells her.

"Alex, wait. I...I did come to talk about something else." Norma says, stopping him.

"But it...if you don't have time-"

"I have twenty minutes." he tells her after checking his watch.

"Okay. I just...I do want to become public. But before we do that, I need a little bit of reassurance." she begins with nervousness.

"On what?" he asks.

"On us. I mean...I-I'm not asking for a proposal or anything." she tells quickly.

"If you're asking where my head is...I'm all in, Norma. As long as you are, I am too. I have been for a while. You may not be asking for a proposal right now but when we are ready, I can see one in the future." he tells her calmly. She opens her mouth with shock at how bold and open he is being with her. It was a new concept.

"Was that the reassurance you were looking for?" he asks. All she can manage to do is nod quickly and give him a soft smile.

"I really do need to go to work though. I'll talk to you soon though." he tells her, placing a kiss on the corner of her mouth before getting into his car.

When she arrives back at her motel, she is surprised to see an unfamiliar car parked out front of her motel. She pulls up in front of where the woman is sitting and parks her car, getting out.

"I-Is the motel open?" the woman asks.

Norma felt as if she had seen this woman before. Her features were very familiar but she couldn't quite place it.

"I just need a room for a few nights." the woman continues, noticing Norma's silence.

"Do you take cash?" she asks.

"Okay. Yes, of course. Come in." Norma says, walking toward the motel office. Norma flips the lights on and walks around the desk to retrieve the key and the guest book.

"I'm sorry you had to wait. I've been running the motel myself the last few days, and my sons out of town and the girl who usually helps me...well she needed some time off." Norma says, handing the woman a pen.

"You mean Emma?" the woman asks.

"Yes, do you know her?" Norma asks, surprised that she knew of the quiet girl.

"I...spoke to her in the village once the last time I was here. Nice girl." the lady says, signing the guest book before pushing it back to Norma.

"Yes she is." Norma agrees as she reads Audrey Ellis' information.

"Okay, Ms. Ellis. I'm going to put you in room five." Norma says, handing her the key she had grabbed.

"The village is about a mile; it's a beautiful walk, and I will be up at the house if you need anything." Norma says, grabbing her purse.

"All right. Thanks, Norma." Audrey says, making Norma stop in her tracks.

"How did you know my name?" Norma asks, knowing she never gave this lady her name.

"I just saw it on the card there." Audrey says, pointing to the business card. Norma chuckles at how paranoid she is being.

"Oh, of course."

"Have a nice evening." Audrey says, walking out of the office.

"Thanks. You too." Norma calls back as she locks the office. She glances back at Audrey, still feeling like something was off with this woman.

She is probably just being paranoid.

Perhaps she is going crazy.


	18. Chapter 18

Norma hadn't been able to sleep very well that night knowing that her precious boy was strapped to a table in that awful hospital. She tossed and turned in her bed all night and ended up switching to Norman's bed just to have a piece of him near.

The next morning, she woke up to her phone ringing. She was still fully dressed and on top of the covers of Norman's bed. Her neck ached from not having been fully supported by Norman's limp pillows and she made a mental note to get him some new ones.

"Hello?" she answers, already fully awake and energized for the day.

"Mrs. Bates?" a woman asks.

"Yes?"

"This is Willamette County Hospital. Dr. Palma has approved discharging your son. He will be ready at noon today."

"Okay. Okay thank you very much. I'll be right there." Norma says, quickly hanging up the phone and getting out of bed. She quickly dresses herself and grabs her purse, ready to race to get her son. She hesitates at the bottom of the stairs as she remembers her most recent motel guest.

She should probably tell Audrey that she won't be in very much today. She makes her way down to the motel, her hands carrying a tray with a cinnamon roll, fruit, and a glass orange juice. She decorated the tray with a small vase filled with three flowers from her garden.

Carefully, she balances the tray in one hand and knocks on room five.

After a few moments, Audrey opens up the door.

"Hi, I'm running out to pick up my son. I thought you might like some breakfast." Norma says with a smile.

"How kind. Thank you." Audrey says, taking the tray from her.

"I'm starving, actually." she adds, looking down at the food with hunger.

"Good." Norma says, pleased to have done something right.

"Okay. Goodbye." Norma says, walking away. Right as she passes room two, Audrey speaks up again.

"You really are nice, aren't you?" Audrey asks.

"Emma said you were." she tells Norma.

"The one time you talked to her in the village?" Norma asks, once again feeling paranoid and suspicious.

"I didn't meet her in the village." Audrey says slowly, walking closer to Norma.

"I'm Emma's mother." she admits. Norma's smile quickly fades as she remembers what Emma told her about her mother. How her mother ran off the second Emma needed her the most. How she never once tried to reach out to Emma. And how Emma never had that motherly figure in her life. That was why she so tightly clung to Norma.

"You're Emma's mother?" Norma asks with surprise. She finally realizes why this woman looked so familiar. The similarities between her features and Emma's are striking.

"She wrote me from here once and told me how much she admired you. She said she had a crush on your son, Norman, and that he was her best friend. She really just had wonderful things to say about you both-"

"I'm sorry, I-I-I really don't want to hear any of this. I care about Emma so much, but this is none of my business." Norma tells her before quickly walking away. She needed as much distance between herself and Audrey as possible.

Her day only seemed to get worse after that. After the long drive to the hospital, she had to wait very long once again in the waiting room before she was pulled back into an office.

"Your son had a psychotic incident. You do realize that, right?" the woman asks.

"Yes, I understand that's why they brought him here." Norma says, trying to keep her temper in check.

"I'm going to release him because i've seen no sign of violence in the last 24 hours, but...his incident is...well it's very troubling." the woman tells her.

"All right." Norma says, trying to finish this conversation as soon as possible so that she can see her son.

"You can't go back to what you were doing. You can't ignore his need for care."

"I'm going to get him into Pineview." Norma tells her. For the first time ever, the lady smiled.

"That's a great facility. Though it has a long wait list."

"I know. But I am going to get him in." Norma says with determination.

"Well, whatever you do, I am going to need to know that he has a doctor and a plan for medication, or I will have to return him to this facility." the woman threatens.

"No, this place can't help him-"

"Doing nothing won't help him either." the woman interjects.

"Social Services is going to be contacting you within the next two days. You'll need to provide them with a doctor's plan for treatment or he is coming back here."

Norma sighs and nods, only just fully understanding how stressful this will be. How is she going to get him into Pineview in two days? He doesn't even have a doctor yet.

"You may go have a seat in the waiting room. I'll have someone get your son." the woman says, closing the notebook she was writing in. Norma quickly stands up and rushes out of the small room and into the crowded hallway. She is once again bombarded by horrific sites of the over crowded hallway.

She looks around, not knowing where to wait. She didn't want to sit by the man who was talking to himself, nor did she find pleasure in sitting next to a woman who had cuts all along her arms but was laughing hysterically.

She began walking down the hallway, feeling sad for each of these patients.

"Mother?"

She stops in her tracks, her heart skipping a beat when she hears his precious voice. She turns on her heels to find her Norman standing in the dim lit hall, his jacket hanging over his arm. She lets out a breath of relief and rushes towards him as he rushes to her.

He launches himself into her arms, both clinging to each other as if their lives depended on it. She pulls away only to kiss his cheeks before finally looking at him.

"What happened to your head?" she asks, seeing the dark bruise around his eye.

"Oh, no, it's fine-"

"Are you okay?"

"It's fine. It's nothing." he tells her, trying to stop her from worrying.

"Let's go home, mother." he tells her.

The ride home was silent, both just enjoying each other's company but not wanting to talk about the incident. What Norma was most afraid of talking about was whether or not Bradley Martin was really there. And if he did run away with her, where was she now?

Norma was pulled from her thoughts when the doorbell rang. She looked over at Norman who was watching her.

"I'll get it." Norman says.

"No, it's fine. I've got it." Norma tells him, quickly standing up. If it were Alex, she wouldn't want Norman to answer the door.

When Norma pulled the wooden door open, she saw Audrey standing on her porch.

"Hello, Norma."

"What can I do for you?" Norma asks, wanting nothing to do with this woman.

"Look, I don't want to bother you, but I have no one else to ask. There's something I need to get to Emma, but her father won't let me see her and I think he will try to read it if I mail it. In part, it's about him." Audrey admits. Audrey notices Norma's hesitation and decides to continue.

"You mean so much to her. Could you give it to her?" she asks kindly, holding the letter out to Norma.

This woman really must underestimate Norma if she thinks that Norma is willing to go behind a father's back to give his daughter a note from her estranged mother.

"No, I can't do that." Norma says simply.

"Why?" Audrey asks with hurt.

"I'm not asking for anything huge. I'm just trying to reconnect with my daughter-"

"I'm sorry you're just...you're going to have to figure out another way to make that happen." Norma tells her, reaching back to grab the handle of the front door. Audrey nods before lighting up again.

"Could I talk to your son?" she asks.

"Why would you need to talk to my son?"

"They were close. I promise, I-I-I won't give him the letter. I just want to ask him about Emma and how she's been-"

"No, no, I don't want you talking to my son." Norma says stubbornly.

Audrey glares at her with an angry smile.

"And who the hell are you to judge me?" the woman asks boldly.

Norma cocks her eyebrow, prepared to fight.

"Do you know what it's like to live with a child that has something seriously wrong with them? Have that axe hanging over your head day and night? To wonder if you'll be strong enough to stand it?" Audrey asks.

Norma tries to contain her anger. This woman didn't know the half of what Norma had endured throughout her life. She ran the moment things got tough with Emma. She had no right trying to pull sympathy from Norma when Norma had been the one caring for not only her own son but Audrey's daughter as well.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to help you. In fact, I want you to leave." Norma tells her, having had enough of this woman.

"Right now?" Audrey asks with disbelief.

"Yes. I want you off my porch and get your bags and please leave right now." Norma says impatiently.

Audrey stares at her with tears in her eyes, a surprised smile plastered across her face.

"I've got no where to go. My flights tomorrow, I have no car, what am I supposed to do?" Audrey asks. Norma sighs, wishing this woman would just go. She didn't care where she went at this point.

"I don't know-"

"Can I please stay here tonight?" Audrey asks.

"So stay tonight but I don't want you up here anymore. And I don't want you talking to me or my son. He's been through a lot of bad things recently and he doesn't need to be upset."

And with that, Norma stepped back into the house and slammed the door in Audrey's face.

"Who was that, mother?" Norman asks.

"A motel guest. Don't worry about it." Norma says, reaching for her phone.

"What did they want?" Norman asks, following Norma into the kitchen.

"Norman, I said don't worry about it." Norma says, dialing Alex's number before stepping onto the back porch and closing the door behind her. It rings twice before Alex is on the other side.

"Hello?" he answers. Norma is instantly relaxed by the sound of his voice.

"Hi." she says softly, leaning against the wall.

"Hey. What's up?" he asks, setting his pen down and leaning back in his work chair.

"I just...I wanted to hear your voice." she says, not wanting to burden him with her problems.

"You sound stressed." he notes, reading her all too well. Norma smiles softly at this fact.

"Yeah. Yeah, it's fine. Norman is home and...and I have to show proof of a doctor's plan of medication within the next two days and I am just not sure that's going to happen. I don't know what to do, Alex." she admits, becoming more stressed just talking about it.

"I'll take care of it." he tells her.

"W-What? Alex, I-"

"I've got it, Norma. It's no problem. I know people." he tells her confidently. She smiles widely and shakes her head with disbelief.

"I don't know what to say." she tells him.

"Say you'll sneak out tonight. I want to be with you." he tells her.

"Okay, I'll try. But my parents might catch me." she jokes, making him laugh.

"Take the chance, Norma Louise." he urges.

"I'll see you at the motel? Say...eleven o'clock?" Norma asks.

"Can't wait." he tells her.

"Okay. Bye then." she says.

"Bye." he replies before hanging up.

Norma walks back inside and finds Norman heating up some of the dinner that Norma had made yesterday.

"Oh, honey, I was going to make something-"

"It's fine. I know you're busy doing...whatever you're doing." Norman says, almost accusingly.

"Well, I guess we can have leftovers then." Norma says, ignoring his tone.

As they are eating their dinner, Norman continues to stare at Norma as if wanting to say something.

"Norman, what is it?" Norma asks finally, setting her fork down with a _clank_.

"I-I just...Mother I don't want to go back to that place." he tells her.

"I know. You don't have to. I'm going to find you a doctor. A good doctor. Everything will be fine." she tells him soothingly.

"It's just...that place was horrible. Filled with horrible people who did horrible things." he tells her. She nods, picking up her fork again to resume eating.

"I had these...awful dreams in that place." he continues as Norma takes a bite.

"I dreamt that you killed Bradley Martin and bashed her brains out on a rock." he tells her. Norma's chewing slows as she hears this. Her heart begins to race and she is afraid to look up from her food into her son's eyes. There was a large probability that what he dreamt could've been true. Norman could've killed the girl.

"But I guess that...wasn't real and none of it was real." he says with a shrug as he continues eating. Norma takes a deep breath before finally looking up at him and smiling.

"None of it was real, Norman-"

"Are you absolutely sure, mother?" he asks quickly.

"Yes, Im sure. Okay, you're exhausted. Stop thinking. Stop talking. And stop looking at me. Finish your food." she tells him with aggravation.

Her patience had been worn far too thin to have had this conversation. She glances back up at Norman before abruptly standing from the table with her half empty plate of food.

"Mother, what're you doing?" Norman asks.

"I'm not hungry. I'm going to bed." she tells him, walking into the kitchen.

"I'll come too." Norman says, standing up with his plate. She doesn't fight him as he throws his food away and cleans his plate.

"It's been a long day. Just forget about everything, okay?" Norma asks, grabbing his hand.

"Okay." he says with a smile, his dimples showing. She smiles back and pulls him out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

"Alright go get ready." Norma says, gently nudging him into his room while she goes into her own room to change into pajamas.

Once they were both dressed and brushed their teeth, they snuggled close in Norma's bed. Norma rested her head on his shoulder, allowing her son's scent to comfort her like it always had.

However, knowing that she had Alex waiting for her just made her seem antsy. She wanted Norman to fall asleep as fast as possible so she could easily sneak down to see him. She truly missed him and couldn't wait to be near him again.

Her eyes remained on the clock on the desk beside her, watching the small hand tick the seconds away all too slowly. As soon as eleven o'clock hit, Norma slowly looked over at Norman who had been sleeping peacefully for a while now. She slowly untangled herself from him and slipped out from under the covers, sliding her bare feet into her slippers.

She grabs her blue robe and tugs it on before quietly sneaking out of her own room. As soon as her feet hit the first stair on the staircase, she was running. Her adrenaline was pumping and she felt as if she couldn't go fast enough. She took two...three steps at a time down the front of her house before slowing down on the gravel but not walking completely. Once her eyes found his car in front of room eleven, she began running again.

He had kept his key to room eleven for this particular reason; so he would always have a place to stay if he wanted it. Or if he just wanted to see her.

She didn't bother knocking, just swung the door open and stepped inside breathlessly, closing the door behind her. Alex appeared from the bathroom having just brushed his teeth. He takes in her exhausted appearance and smiled.

"Long run?" he asks.

She doesn't reply, just launches herself at him. Her legs wrap around his waist while he easily supports her weight in his arms. She buries her nose in the crook of his neck, her eyes slipping shut as she breathes him in.

"Miss me?" he asks jokingly. She laughs breathlessly, still not releasing her right hold on him. She leans back jut enough to place a long kiss on his lips.

"Too much." she whispers against his lips. He smiles widely and walks over to the bed, slowly sitting down with her still on his lap.

"How are you?" he asks as she finally pulls away enough to look at people him.

"Good now." she tells him, sliding off of his lap but leaving her legs resting across him. She grabs his face and pulls him in for one more kiss, just not being able to get enough of him.

"Tell me what happened today. What was stressful? Other than the Norman's doctor thing." he says, knowing there was more to it. Norma sighs and rests her head on his shoulder, her fingers intertwining with his.

"You know how Emma is getting that transplant surgery?" Norma begins.

"Yeah." Alex says softly, his dark eyes watching his fingers play with slender ones. He was mesmerized by the way they move, ever since he saw her play the piano.

"Well her mom showed up at my motel." Norma says.

"Her mom? I thought her mom was dead." Alex says with confusion.

"No, honey. Her mom just ran off when Emma was first diagnosed. Couldn't handle the pressure of having a sick kid." Norma says, sounding annoyed with Audrey.

"Now she's here? At the motel?" Alex asks.

"Yes. Room five. I tried to send her away but...she just kept begging to stay. She has no car and no where to go. I mean what was I supposed to do? Send her to the streets?"

Alex smiles and rubs the back of her hand with his thumb soothingly.

"You're too kind, Norma. You did the right thing." he tells her, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

"I thought so. But then she started asking me to give Emma this letter. Said she was afraid that if she tried to mail it then her father might try to read it. I can't do that to Will, he has been so kind to Norman." Norma says, her chest tightening with stress just thinking about today's events.

"I'm just afraid she is going to somehow talk Norman into it. And he doesn't need that right now. He needs to rest." she finishes tiredly.

"When is she leaving?" Alex asks.

"Tomorrow."

"Okay then you just have to keep Norman away from her until tomorrow. Simple." he states casually. Norma nods, her mind racing.

"You're so good to me." Norma says softly. She was still getting used to being with a man who treated her well.

"You deserve everything." he whispers back, pulling her body closer to him.

"I should go. I can't have Norman wake up and find me missing." Norma says, standing up.

"Wait...I...there was something I needed to talk with you about." Alex says quickly, suddenly feeling very nervous.

"What?" Norma asks, watching him stand up next to her.

"I..I talked to a few people at the institute and tried to pull some strings..." he begins.

"Did it work? Is he in?" she asks.

"Well...they will budge a little by moving him to the top of the waiting list but.."

"But what?" she asks.

"But you really have to have insurance." he tells her.

"That's the one thing they said they can't be lenient about."

Norma sighs with defeat, shaking her head.

"Well great. So that's it then." she says.

"Not exactly." Alex says, his heart racing. He wipes his sweaty palms on his jeans, trying to stop the floor from moving beneath him.

"There's one more option that you have." he says slowly.

"What? What is it? I'll do anything." Norma says eagerly.

"Well you could get insurance-"

"I can't do that, Alex. If I could've done that, I would've." Norma says.

"Let me finish." he says softly.

"I...I could give you insurance. Because I have insurance." he manages to spit out.

"I'm not following you, Alex." Norma says with confusion. Alex runs a hand through his hair, frustrated that his point isn't coming across.

"Norma...you...you could marry me." he tells her.

She opens her mouth to speak but nothing comes out. She couldn't seem to find the right words to say. She needed the insurance and she really liked Alex but they only just started dating. They weren't even public yet.

Alex heart raced as she remained silent in shock. He knew it was a bad idea asking her. She's a flight risk. And he didn't know if he could afford to lose her.

"Will you?"


	19. Chapter 19

"Will you?"

He couldn't take any more of her silence, his heart already beating all too fast. A smile slowly stretches across Norma's face, making him feel a little more confident.

"Alex, I-I-I don't know what to say. I...it's took much to ask of you to do this for me. I really-"

"Norma, I want to do what I can to help." he tells her.

"Alex...thank you. I...I don't know how to repay you." she says, her hand raising to rest on her chest.

"You could...hang out with me tomorrow." Alex suggests, grabbing her hand and intertwining their fingers. Norma smiles and nods.

"Okay. I was going to go visit Emma. You can come with. I'm sure she wouldn't mind." Norma says.

"It's a date." he agrees.

"Okay. Now I really do have to go." Norma says, standing on her tip toes to place a kiss on his lips.

"Goodnight." she whispers, pulling away.

"Goodnight." he replies sadly, watching her go. The next morning couldn't come quick enough. Norma had texted Alex to park a bit down the road so that his car wasn't in the motel lot since Norman would be home all day.

He waited patiently on the side of the road until he saw Norma's car drive into his rear view mirror. Once he stepped out, he walked to her idle car and got in, placing a kiss on her waiting lips.

"Morning." he mumbles against her soft lips before nipping at the bottom one. She moans and smiles as she pulls away.

"Morning, sheriff. Ready to go?" she asks. He reaches back for his seatbelt and nods.

It wasn't a far drive, no more than an hour and a half to get to the hospital. But that just allowed Norma and Alex to get to know each other a bit better.

"What did you think of me? When you first saw me?" Norma asks, glancing over at him.

"I thought you were beautiful. Strange and a bit suspicious, but...no one had ever taken my breath away the way you did." he tells her honestly.

"I thought you were mean. And an ass." she tells him.

"Thanks." he says sarcastically while he smirks.

"But I found myself thinking about you that night. Now that I am thinking back on how I was...I always did want you. Even when I didn't know what I wanted. Even before I really knew you. I found myself being...sort of drawn to you. And then when you took that bullet for me...I don't know, it kind of solidified what I didn't know. Which is that you are the one person I can fully trust. And that was everything to me."

She glances over at him to see him smiling softly as he gazes back at her. His hand reaches out and takes hers, nestling comfortably together. They pull into the parking lot of the hospital and step out, rejoining their hands once they meet in front of the car.

"Does Emma know about us?" Alex asks, their hands swinging together as they walk.

"I'm not sure. I mean Dylan knows so...he might've told her." Norma explains.

"They're together now." she adds, looking up at him with excitement.

"Oh that's great. Emma's a great girl." Alex says, opening the door for Norma.

"Yeah, she is." Norma agrees as they walk to the front desk.

"Hello." the woman greets them from the front desk.

"We are visiting Emma Decody." Norma says, her fingers playing with Alex's.

"Room 1008. That's on the seventh floor." the woman says.

"Thank you." Alex says, pulling Norma away from the counter.

"Should we get flowers?" Norma asks, looking into the gift shop.

"Yeah. Yeah that's a good idea." he says. They pick out a small bouquet of yellow flowers.

"Do you think she will like them?" Norma asks as they walk toward the elevators.

"Yeah. They smell good."

"Yeah she can smell them now." Norma says with excitement.

"Shit." Alex whispers, releasing Norma's hand and stepping away from her.

"What?" Norma asks.

"Deputy Lynn. From my work." Alex whispers, trying not to look at Norma while he talks. The elevator opens and Alex quickly steps inside with Norma, released when the doors begin to close. Right before they close all the way, a hand sticks between the doors, forcing them back open.

Alex huffs when Deputy Lynn steps onto the elevator, looking at Alex with surprise.

"Sheriff Romero, what're you doing here?" she asks as the doors close behind her.

"Visiting." he says simply, his tone borderline angry and annoyed the way it usually is when he talks to her.

"Who?" she asks.

"Private." he tells her. She nods and turns around to face the doors. Alex glances over at Norma and slowly steps closer to her, his hand creeping up to rest on her lower back. She tenses up, not wanting to give off any indication to Deputy Lynn of what is happening right behind her.

His hand creeps lower until eventually, it dips under Norma's dress. His fingers slowly rise up her bare thigh, making her eyes slip shut as her grip on the bouquet of flowers tightens. Before his hand can get any higher, she quickly reaches back and grabs his wrist, stepping away and glaring at him.

He smirks and raised an eyebrow at her. The elevator doors open at the third floor and Deputy Lynn turns to face them.

"It was nice seeing you, Sheriff." she says. He nods, making no indication that it was good seeing her as well. Without another word, the young girl steps off of the elevator, leaving Norma and Alex alone. As soon as the doors close, Norma drops the flowers and launches herself at Alex, her legs wrapping around his waist. He turns and presses her against the wall, their lips hungrily moving against each other while their hands roam freely.

All too soon, the elevator dings and Alex quickly sets Norma down and steps away from her. Just as the doors open, Norma bends down to pick up the bouquet of flowers that had been forgotten during the heated moment.

"Oh." Dylan says, appearing on the other side of the elevator doors.

"Dylan. What're you doing here?" Norma asks.

"Visiting Emma." Dylan says slowly, confused as to why she was asking.

"Are you just getting done?" Norma asks as she and Alex step out of the elevator and Dylan steps in.

"Yeah I'm just running to buy us some lunch. Did you guys want anything?" Dylan asks, holding the elevator doors open.

"No that's alright. Thanks though." Alex says before Norma can respond. Dylan nods and allows the doors to close.

"Why did you say no? I'm hungry." Norma says, walking with Alex.

"I'm going to take you out." Alex tells her.

"You are?" she asks, looking up at him with a smile. He nods, smiling back at her.

"It's a bit overdue, don't you think? I mean we are about to get married."

Before they could talk more, they had arrived outside of Emma's room. Norma knocks once before slowly opening the door and stepping inside.

"Hi." Norma says to Emma who is sitting up in the bed with a book in her hands.

"Hey!" Emma says with surprise, shutting her book and setting it aside.

"Oh, look at you!" Norma says, noticing her tube free nose. She walks to Emma's bed and hugs her. She pulls away and glances back at Alex who is standing by the door awkwardly.

"Sheriff Romero. A wonderful surprise." Emma says, nonchalantly inviting Alex further into the room.

"Glad you're doing well, Emma." Alex says. He had always had a soft spot for the young girl.

"This is amazing." Norma says, handing her the flowers.

"Oh, thank you." Emma says.

"And thank you for making Dylan so happy. I mean where did this come from?" Norma asks, sitting in the chair beside Emma's bed. Alex pulls a chair up beside Norma, sitting in it.

"I have no clue. It's funny. It's like one day we- we sort of just...saw each other. You know?" Emma asks.

"Yeah." Norma says with a smile as she thinks of how that was how it happened with her and Alex.

"Yeah...you do know." Emma says, glancing at Alex. Norma looks over at Alex, her face going red.

"Oh. So Dylan did tell you." Norma says with a soft laugh.

"Tell me what?" Emma asks with a wide grin, wanting Norma to say it out loud.

"About me and Alex. That we're...getting married." Norma says.

"Norma-"

"Married?" Emma asks with shock.

"Dylan doesn't even know that, Norma." Alex reminds her.

"Shoot. Oh shoot. Okay, don't tell Dylan. Okay? I forgot that nobody knows." Norma says quickly.

"You're getting married? When did you propose? How? When's the wedding?" Emma asks.

"I proposed last night in the motel room." Alex tells her.

"There's no wedding. Just us in a courtroom." Norma adds.

"No wedding?" Emma asks with surprise.

"Nope. It's just going to be short and to the point." Norma says.

"Oh I got us in for tomorrow morning. Is that okay?" Alex asks Norma.

"Perfect." she tells him.

"Tomorrow?" Emma asks with even more surprise.

"I-I-I mean isn't this a bit premature? You need time to think. And plan. And-and-"

"Emma, breathe." Norma says, trying to calm the girl.

"Are you going to tell Dylan before you're married?" Emma asks.

"Uh, maybe. Probably." Norma says with a shrug.

"Did you...I mean did you get down on one knee? With a ring?" Emma asks Alex.

"I didn't get down, no." he tells her.

"And there's no ring." Norma adds.

"Well..." Alex says, glancing over at Norma.

"I-I do...I have a ring." Alex tells her. He pulls the small, beautiful ring out of his pocket and holds it up to her, making Norma and Emma both gasp as they stare at it.

"It was my mother's. If it's alright...I would like for you to have it." he tells her.

"Alex, I...I can't-"

"Why not?" Emma asks quickly before realizing her mistake.

"Sorry. I'm not here. Continue." she finishes with embarrassment.

"I wouldn't want anyone else to wear it but you." he tells her honestly. He slowly grabs her hand and slides the ring onto her finger.

"Wow." Emma says, her eyes watering as she watches the pair.

"Sorry. I'm too emotional." she adds, wiping her tears away.

"This is really too much, Alex. I mean you're already doing so much just by marrying me. I..I don't know if I can accept this." she tells him.

"Norma we already agreed that the marriage is more than just for insurance for Norman. I want to make it official." he tells her.

"Wait. Insurance for Norman?" Emma asks, catching their attention.

"Uh, well...it...it's a long story-" Norma begins.

"Which is irrelevant now." Alex finishes for her. Emma nods, looking between the pair.

"So..." she begins awkwardly.

"Have you guys thought about kids?" she asks, catching them both off guard.

"I mean I know it's sudden. I mean you're just getting married. But...the clock is ticking, right?" she says with a smile. Norma glances at Alex who is looking just as freaked out.

"Oh my God. Okay, never mind." she says, feeling embarrassed again.

"I'm back." Dylan says, walking into the room with his and Emma's food. He glances around, noticing the tension in the room.

"Did I miss something?" he asks. No one says anything, each person looking at another.

"What?" Dylan asks again.

"We should get going." Alex says, standing up.

"Okay. Well it was nice seeing you, Emma. You look so beautiful." Norma says, hugging the young girl.

"You have to tell him." Emma whispers to Norma.

"See you later, Emma." Alex says as Norma pulls away.

"Thanks for stopping by, Sheriff." Emma says, waving to him.

"Dylan, there's one thing I should tell you." Norma begins, glancing over at Emma before focusing on Dylan.

"What?" he asks.

"I'm getting married tomorrow. But before you freak out, Alex is helping me out with getting Norman into Pineview." she tells him.

"So it's not legit?" Dylan asks.

"It's...too soon to label it-"

"But you are labeling it. With a pretty permanent label." Dylan tells them.

"I like Alex and he likes me and he is helping me out. If it turns out to be legit then great." Norma says, trying to sound casual. In reality, she would be crushed if it didn't work out. Dylan turns to Alex, his face serious.

"Don't hurt her." he tells Alex.

"I'm not afraid to beat the shit out of you even if you are a cop." he adds.

"You can trust me." Alex tells him, reaching over to take Norma's hand. Dylan nods as if giving him permission.

"So I'll see you guys later then." Emma says, breaking the tension.

"Bye, Emma." Norma says as she walks out of the room with Alex.

"That was...not how I thought things would go." Norma says with a smile.

"Could've been worse." Alec replied as he presses the button for the elevator.

"Oh, no. We're taking the stairs." Norma says with a smirk as she pulls him away from the elevator.

"Can't handle the ride?" Alex asks jokingly. She raises an eyebrow at him before replying.

"I crave the ride."


	20. Chapter 20

Nervousness was the only feeling Norma had that morning as she dressed herself for her wedding. She didn't want to wear one of her casual sundresses, nor did she want to wear a business suit. She settled on a black skirt with a matching blazer, wearing minimal makeup.

When she arrived, she was surprised to see that Alex was waiting on her, already wearing his suit that she loved. She had only seen him in it once before and that was when Lee Birman had died.

"You look beautiful." Alex tells her, kissing her cheek.

"Last chance to back out." Norma offers nervously.

"I'm in this for good, Norma. Are you getting cold feet?" he asks seriously.

"My feet are toasty warm." she says honestly, taking his hand.

The ceremony was short and sweet, just how Norma had wanted. It all felt surreal, like she was outside of her body, watching everything unfold. She couldn't believe she was getting married for the third time. And to Alex Romero.

"So what now?" Norma asks as they walk out of the courthouse, freshly wed.

"Now we go home and help Norman pack."

"Okay." Norma says.

"I'll pick up my stuff tonight." he tells her.

"Your stuff?"

"I have to move in." Alex tells her gently.

"Right. O-Okay." she says, her stomach fluttering once again.

"I'll meet you at the house." he tells her, placing a soft kiss on her lips.

"Bye." she says numbly as she walks back to her car. Her eyes kept glancing from the road down to the large ring on her finger. She still can't get over how beautiful it is.

Her mind kept jumping back to the previous day when Emma said something about having kids. She hadn't even thought about starting a family with Alex. She wasn't sure where he stood with it. If they did want to start a family, they would have to start it soon since neither of them were getting any younger.

"Norma?" Alex says, tapping on her window. She jumps and looks up at him before rolling down her window. She didn't know how long she had been sitting in front of the house, she had been so lost in her own thoughts.

"You waiting on something?" Alex asks curiously.

"No. No, i'm not." she says, turning her car off and rolling the window back up. Alex opens her door for her and helps her out.

"Hey, Alex?" she asks, remembering the journal she had found that night that she broke into his house.

"Yeah?" he answers, leading her up the front steps.

"Who's Rebecca?" she asks. He stiffens and glances back at her before opening the front door.

"Uh, we can talk about that later." he tells her as they walk into the house.

"Mother?" Norman calls out, appearing at the top of the steps.

"Hi, honey." Norma says, sliding the ring off of her finger and placing it in her pocket. The action doesn't go unnoticed by Alex.

"What's the sheriff doing here?" Norman asks.

"He's just helping me out. I have some news." Norma says, walking up the stairs.

"I've found you a doctor. A nice one. They're going to help you there." she says with excitement.

"There? Where?" Norman asks.

"Pineview. It's a nice place, honey. And I will visit you every chance I get." she tells him. He continues to stare at her with a mix of hurt and betrayal.

"Honey, it's just until you get better, okay? And then you can come back home." she says reassuringly.

"Just until I get better." he agrees with a broken voice, his chin quivering as tears threaten to spill over his eyes.

"Of course, honey." she says, hugging him tightly.

"When do I leave?" he asks.

"Tonight." she says sadly.

All he can do is nod.

Alex remains where he is standing, watching how motherly Norma is. It's addicting, watching her in her element. Especially since Alex has seen her tough side. Hell, that was the only side he got to see for the first few months that they knew each other. Even then he didn't think he could fall harder than he already had. And then she was wiping the blood off of his injured body, careful not to hurt him even further. She was suddenly gentle and caring and he knew that she was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

"We should start packing then." Norman says coldly, slipping out of Norma's embrace.

Norma remains standing there sadly until Alex hugs her from behind. She leans back against him, her hands covering his forearms.

"Am I doing the right thing?" Norma whispers sadly.

"Of course you are." he whispers back before placing a kiss on her cheek. She silently slips out of his embrace and begins downstairs to make some tea. Before she can leave him completely, she reaches back and grabs his hand, pulling him along with her.

"I just feel...like I failed as a mother. I mean Dylan was in the drug business and Norman..." Norma trails off as she fills the kettle with water.

"I know that I usually freak out when things don't go my way. I-I throw things and I yell but...but right now I am calm. I am calm. But it is the calm before something terrible. How is this the way my life was meant to go?" Norma asks softly as she stares at the kettle.

"Once this is all over, you probably won't know how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won't even really be sure if the bad part is over. But one thing is certain. When you walk out of this, you won't be the same person you are now. I think that's what this is all about." Alex says softly as he soothingly rubs her back.

"You're so wise, Alex." Norma says, turning to face him. She slowly unzips his jacket, pushing the fabric off of his shoulders.

"Norma...right here?" Alex asks with confusion, thinking that she was trying to get physical. Instead, she presses her ear against his chest and closes her eyes.

"What's...what's happening?" he whispers.

"Shh." she shushes him. He slowly wraps his arm around her, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

It was his heartbeat that calmed her, the steady thump of his strong heart. With every beat, her worries seemed to be further away from her.

"I love you." he blurts out, making both of them tense up. Her eyes pop open but she doesn't move, doesn't say anything. She can hear his heart rate pick up, the thumps coming a lot quicker and irregular.

"I'm sorry." he says, his voice cracking with nervousness.

"I-I love you too." she says quickly.

"You don't have to say it just because I said-"

"I'm not." she says, picking up her head to look into his dark eyes.

"I do. I love you, Alex." she tells him. He smiles and cups her face in the palm of his hand. Norman's footsteps echo into the kitchen and they quickly pull away from each other.

"Let's go." Norman says, walking out the front door without even glancing at them. Norma looks at Alex before racing after Norman. Alex quickly turns off the stove and follows them with his jacket and car keys.

"Norman, wait!" Norma calls out as she runs down the steps after him.

"I don't think we should prolong this, mother. I don't even think you should be the one to take me. I think it would be better off if Sheriff Romero took me and we said goodbye here." Norman says, stomping towards Alex's car.

"Norman, don't be like this." Norma says, trying to grab his arm.

"Like what, mother? Like I am independent? Like I don't need you anymore? I think we have been horrible for each other, mother. I don't think we should spend much more time together. I think this will be good for us, this time apart." Norman says, his eyes watering.

"Norman-"

"Sheriff, I am ready to leave, thank you." Norman says, putting his bags into Alex's car.

"Norman, please-"

"Goodbye, mother." he says, getting into Alex's car and shutting the door.

Norma looks to Alex helplessly, the tears running down her cheeks. Alex yearns to take her into his arms and kiss her tears away but he can't. Not with Norman watching.

"I'll be back soon, Norma." he promises softly. All she can do is weakly nod and watch him get into his car and drive away with her dearest boy.

She stayed in the gravel even after they were gone, her limbs feeling all too heavy to pick up. The sky turned from blue to a light pink, until finally, the sun had to go to sleep, leaving her with the darkness of the night sky. She didn't feel anything. She couldn't tell if it was cold outside, couldn't tell if she was hungry or not. Had she had any food at all today?

"Norma?" Emma asks, stepping out of her orange bug. Norma didn't look at the girl, just kept the silent tears flowing.

"Norma, are you alright?" she asks again, moving closer to Norma. When Norma doesn't respond again, Emma wraps an arm around her waist while her other hand grabs Norma's arm. She begins leading her back up to the house when Alex's car pulls up to them.

"What's wrong?" Alex asks as he steps out of the car and races to them.

"I found her standing outside when I pulled in. She wasn't responding to me. It's freezing out here so I thought I would carry her in and warm her up." Emma says to him with worry.

"Thank you." he tells her genuinely. He takes Emma's place by scooping Norma's small body up into his strong arms.

"I've got you." he tells Norma quietly as he and Emma race up the stairs.

"Alex." Norma whispers sadly.

"He's gone."

Emma opens the front door for them and Alex walks in to set her down gently on the couch. He grabs a blanket and covers Norma.

"I'll make some tea." Emma offers, wanting to give them some time alone.

"Norma, honey, what happened?" Alex asks, pushing the hair back from her face. She grabs his hand and holds it to her cheek, her eyes slipping shut.

"Your hands are so warm." she sighs.

"That's because I wasn't standing in the cold for hours." he tells her with a smile.

"I didn't realize it was that long." she tells him, opening her eyes and sitting up.

"How was he? Did he seem mad? Did he talk at all?" Norma asks with worry.

"He was fine. We had a conversation. He seemed better when he got there." Alex tells her.

"Had a conversation? About what?" Norma asks.

"It was nothing. I calmed him." he tells her carefully. She seems content with that answer and leans back against the couch. He rubs her back, feeling relieved that she is getting more color in her pale face.

"Alex, I can't stop thinking about Emma's words." Norma whispers.

"What do you mean?" Alex asks.

"When she was talking about children."

She could feel him tense up and the movements on her back halted.

"It's just that we aren't getting younger." she adds.

"Oh." is all he can manage to say. Norma feels how uncomfortable he is and decides to change the subject.

"Who is Rebecca? You never answered that earlier." Norma says.

Unfortunately, she picked the wrong subject to jump to. He tensed up even more and stands from his place next to her. He smiles and chuckles breathlessly, his hands stuffing themselves into his pockets.

Before he can answer, his cellphone rings and he quickly answers it.

"Romero." he answers professionally, all nervousness gone from his voice. Norma watches him, feeling angered that he so eagerly jumped to answer his phone when he didn't answer her question.

"Now? What's the status?" Alex asks with worry. He pauses as the other line answers.

"I'm...I just got married today. Im not supposed to be working." he says, glancing at Norma. He sighs and nods, closing his eyes.

"Be there in ten." he says before hanging up.

"Really?" Norma says, standing up.

"I've gotta go-" he says, grabbing his keys.

"Alexander Romero-"

"Be back later." he says, placing a quick kiss on her lips before leaving. She huffs with anger and turns away from the front door, her deadly glare settling on Emma who had just finished making three cups of tea.

Emma looks back at Norma with fear, having never seen the other end of this glare. She shifted uncomfortably before managing to choke words out.

"T-Tea?"

 _Sorry for the short chapter. I've been on spring break so I was up in NYC which has no cell service. Anyways..._

 _If you don't like my story or how I decide to portray my characters, stop reading and write your own story. Simple as that. Lord knows this world needs more art :) xoxo_


	21. Chapter 21

She didn't know what time it was when she felt Alex sit next to her on the bed. She was already asleep but she had always been a light sleeper. He lays down on top of the covers, still in his uniform, and wraps his arms around Norma's body.

"I'm sorry." he whispers when he feels her grab his forearms. She turns her head to look at him and give him a soft kiss.

"It's your job. You had to." she says, no longer angry. He smiles and places a kiss on her cheek.

"I should let you sleep." Alex says, sitting up.

They had never discussed boundaries so naturally, Alex respectfully chose to sleep in Dylan's room. Norma wasn't having it.

"Stay." she tells him, sitting up.

"Don't go. We just got married, Alex. I want you to stay." she tells him.

"I don't think it would be a good idea." he tells her.

"Okay." she says, not wanting to pressure him. If he didn't want her then she wouldn't throw herself at him.

"Goodnight." she says, placing a quick kiss on the corner of his mouth. He catches the back of her neck before she can pull away.

"Goodnight." he says, placing a soft kiss on her lips. She pulls away slowly, looking into his dark eyes. She had never seen them so dark.

"Okay." she whispers, glancing down at his lips.

"Okay." he whispers back. She slowly leans in again, gently pressing her lips against his. Only this time, when she tried to pull away from him, he followed her until she was laying against her pillows and he was hovering over her.

Her hands found their way into his hair while he kicked off his shoes and climbed further onto the bed. His hand slid down her side slowly until it reached the end of her nightgown.

"We should stop." Alex says as he kisses down her neck.

"Yeah." she says back, her body saying differently.

""We need...to take this...slow." he says in between kisses. She gasps when his teeth graze the side of her neck.

"Yes." she breathes out sharply. His hand dips under her nightgown and he slides two fingers into her, making her gasp and arch her back.

"I don't want to rush into anything." he says while he continues his movements. He pulls back and watches her as she writhes under his touch.

"Alex." she gasps, squeezing her eyes shut. She finally grabs his wrist, stopping his movements.

"Take off your clothes." she tells him.

"I thought we weren't rushing-"

"We are adults, Alex. We are married. We have been taking it slow this entire time. Now are you going to keep taking it slow? Or are you going to take off your clothes?" she asks, sitting up. Alex blushes at her boldness but quickly begins removing his uniform.

"Alex?" Norma asks, fearing she might've overdone it again. He stops taking off his pants and looks up at her.

"I-I love you. And...thank you." she says shyly.

"For what?" he asks with confusion.

"For making sure that I am comfortable with all of this." she says, grabbing his hand. He smiles and places a kiss on the back of her hand before climbing back over to her.

And even though Norma had said she was done taking it slow with Alex, the way he slowly touched her was perfect. Every kiss he placed on her skin, every time his eyelashes fluttered against her cheek, every word he whispered into her ear, it was unlike anything she had ever experienced. It had her gripping onto his shoulders while her body was pressed beneath his as if he was all she had to keep her from drowning.

Their sweaty bodies were left intertwined, their breathing heavy from all of the exertion. Norma smiles as she stares at their intertwined fingers.

"This isn't real." Alex says softly, his thumb rubbing hers.

"What?" she asks.

"This. Me being here with you. I've dreamt it before. It doesn't feel real." he tells her. She smiles widely.

"You've dreamt it before?" she asks.

"Of course. You had to have known how much I liked you. I mean what cop would break the law so many times for a woman he barely knew?" Alex says with a smirk.

"I thought you were just being friendly." Norma says with a shrug. Alex chuckles and kisses her forehead.

"Do you want to talk now? Finish what we started earlier? About what Emma said?" Norma asks, hoping to get some answers from him.

"Let's get some sleep. We can talk in the morning." Alex says, closing his eyes.

Unfortunately, by the time Norma woke up the next morning, Alex was already gone for work. Things went this way for a while: Alex getting home late, Norma wanting to talk about kids but getting shut down each time.

Until one day, Alex finally had the day off. Norma was overjoyed and had a whole day planned out for them. Most of it involved having sex.

"So I was thinking we could go down to the pond. There's a really nice garden growing around it. I was going to jot down some flowers I want to add to my garden." Norma says as she helps him make breakfast. She had been teaching Alex how to cook various meals.

"Oh." he says, flipping a pancake.

"What?" Norma asks, sensing his mood.

"I just didn't know we were going out today." he says honestly. She stops pouring the orange juice and turns to him.

"Do you not want to?" she asks.

"I was sort of wanting to stay in and relax. Spend most of our time in bed." he tells her honestly. She nods slowly, pursing her lips as she thinks about it.

"If that's what you want." she says, turning back to the orange juice.

"Norma-"

"Alex, it's fine. We will stay. Whatever." she says, putting the orange juice back in the fridge.

"No we can go."

"Alex." she stops him, turning to look at him.

"We are staying in. I am fine with it. You need relaxation. I get it." she tells him. He nods and goes back to making breakfast.

"Why don't you go upstairs and I will finish making this and bring it to bed." Norma offers, taking the spatula out of his hand.

"What? You don't like my pancakes?" Alex asks with a smile as he looks at the burnt side of the pancake he just flipped.

"You're getting better." she tells him. He laughs and steps back from the stove to let her in.

"See you in a bit." he says, walking out of the kitchen.

By the time Norma brings the tray of food up, Alex is already fast asleep in her bed. She smiles and sets the tray aside and pulls the covers up over his body before leaving.

She had never known how hard Alex worked before she was married to him. It was like he never slept. He came home after midnight and left before the sun rose again.

It wasn't always like this, Alex had reassured her of that. But they had been working on a case of a missing girl for a while now and they were beginning to find more and more evidence of where she might be.

So she understood why Alex slept through most of the day, waking up only to eat some food here and there.

"I'm going into town for some groceries." Norma says when he wakes up. She was sitting at her vanity fixing her curls when she saw him roll over to face her.

"Do you need anything?" she adds, looking at him through the mirror.

"I'm sorry." he tells her, his eyes slipping shut.

"For what?" she asks, putting her earrings in.

"For sleeping through the only day we have together." he says sleepily. She smiles and walks over to the bed. Her hand gently pushes his thick hair away from his forehead and her lips press against his soft skin just above his eyebrows.

"Get some more sleep, dear. I'll be back soon." she whispers. He smiles and nods slowly, his breathing becoming deeper as he succumbs back to sleep.

Norma quietly slips out of her room and takes a deep breath, realizing that she just lied to her husband for the first time since they've been married.

Nevertheless, she rushes down the stairs and out the door. She couldn't seem to get to Pineview quick enough. She didn't know why she felt the need to lie about going to visit Norman. Maybe because she knew Alex wouldn't think it was a good idea. Because it wasn't a good idea, her going to see him. He didn't want to see her. He made that clear before he left.

"I'm here to see Norman Bates." Norma says when she reaches the front desk.

"He's in a session right now, ma'am. He should be out shortly. If you would like, you can wait in the waiting room." the woman offers. Norma smiles and nods before walking to the waiting room. She was only in there for a few seconds before she saw Norman walk down the hall. She smiles when she catches his eye. She waves and begins to walk toward him but he makes no effort to move toward her.

"Hi, honey." she says, pulling him in for a hug. His arms remain by his sides as she pulls away. She looks into his eyes which stare emotionlessly at her.

"Norman, honey, why are you being like this?" she asks, taking his face into her hands. He grabs her wrists and pulls them away while he steps back.

"I've told you, mother, I think we need time apart. We can't have time apart if you show up here unannounced." he tells her. Her eyebrows scrunch together with confusion.

"Norman, where is my loving little boy? I'm still your mother." she tells him, her voice sounding pained.

"I'm not the same boy I was, mother. I'm ill. Sheriff Romero and my therapist both made that very clear." he tells her.

"Sheriff Romero? What did Alex say to you?" she asks, narrowing her eyes.

"Just that I need help. That I am not well and that you can't help me like the people here can." Norman tells her. Norma nods slowly, feeling angered for some reason.

"He was right. You can't help. If anything I think you're doing more harm. So I would like for you to leave. And if I feel the need to see you, I will reach out. Good day." he says, swiftly walking around her.

Norma felt frozen with shock. It was like she didn't mean anything to him. All those years of cuddling and watching movies together and laughing and singing...they meant nothing to him. Like they didn't even happen. She hated this new version of him. And she hated that she sent him here.

On the way home, the anger continued to build up. She was angry with him and the institution. She was angry with herself. She was angry with Alex for taking Norman to Pineview and for marrying her so she could get him in.

When she got home, she was angered even more when she found out that he had gone to work again. He left a note near the front door for her to read.

 _Norma-_

 _Got called in to work. Sorry for sleeping so long. I love you and miss you. x_

 _-Alex_

She sighs and crumpled the paper up with anger. She stomps her way up the stairs and into her bedroom. The room smelt of him, making her heart skip a beat. Even when she was angry with him, she couldn't help but feel weak at the knees when thinking of him. She glances down at the crumbled note in her hand and slowly unrolls it. She places it in the top drawer of her vanity with the rest of the notes he has written to her, including the check he gave her for his stay at the motel before they were dating.

She knew she couldn't yell at him even if he was here. She had lied about where she was going. He would be so upset if he knew that she lied to her.

She couldn't take the guilt that was spreading through her body. She suddenly felt claustrophobic in her small room. So she left. Not just her room but her house entirely. She drove down into town and parked near the docks, the ocean breeze hitting her face as she steps out of her car. It calmed her just a bit, allowing her to shut her eyes and bask in the warmth of the sun.

"You're Norma Bates, right?"

Norma opens her eyes and finds a beautiful red headed woman smiling at her with red stained lips.

"Yes." Norma says warily.

"Sorry, I just...I heard about you a while back. When you called Lee Berman a dick." the woman says with a laugh.

"Oh. Right." Norma says with embarrassment.

"I'm Rebecca Hamilton." the woman says, sticking her hand out to Norma. Norma freezes at first at the sound of her name but quickly takes her hand.

"Rebecca. Nice to meet you." Norma says.

"You too."

"Do you...do you happen to know Sheriff Romero?" Norma asks, pulling her hand back. Surely it wasn't the same Rebecca. Hopefully not. This woman was so pretty, she almost made Norma feel bad about herself.

"Alex? Yeah I know Alex." Rebecca says with a knowing smile.

"H-How well?" Norma asks.

"I would say pretty well. Why?" she asks.

"I was just wondering." Norma says casually.

"Do you know him well?" Rebecca asks. Norma laughs and nods.

"I should hope so. He's my husband." Norma says, the words sounding foreign but she liked it. What she didn't like was the look of shock and hurt on Rebecca's face.

"Husband? I-I-I didn't know he was married. Congratulations." she says, not sounding sincere.

"I should get going." Rebecca says, quickly walking away before Norma could say more. This brief encounter only made her more uneasy. Why did this woman look so betrayed by the thought of Alex and Norma being married? Surely Alex wouldn't see this woman behind Norma's back, would he?

He seemed to always avoid the topic of Rebecca. It would make sense. Norma had never felt so confused and hurt. It was a pain that she could feel physically in her chest and stomach. The only thing she could do was to get back into her car and drive home to sleep her worries away.

 _Quick update because I know I am about to get busy again. Someone pointed out to me that chapters 18-20 were all the same. Not sure how that happened but it's fixed now...hopefully. Anyways, enjoy!_


	22. Chapter 22

Norma hadn't seen Alex very much. He sometimes didn't even come home from work. But tonight was Emma's homecoming party that Dylan was throwing for her down at the beach and Alex had promised Norma that he would be there. He was going to come straight from work to meet her there. Dylan had offered to pick Norma up so that she could ride home with Alex.

"Emma, you look so beautiful, dear!" Norma says, hugging the young girl. Emma laughs and holds tightly onto Norma.

"Thank you." she says happily. They pull away and smile at each other.

"Where's Alex? I thought he would be here waiting." Dylan says, knowing that Alex had told Norma he was coming. Dylan knew all about Norma's struggles because of Emma who was very close with his mother.

"He's coming from work. He should be here any minute." Norma says positively. Her confidence in Alex's appearance at the party began to dwindle after an hour of being there by herself.

"So we have something to tell you." Dylan begins slowly as they walk up to Norma.

"Okay." Norma says slowly, looking between the two young adults.

"So...um...there's a hospital in Seattle. It's the best respiratory center in the country. My dad...you know, he just wants to give me my best shot." Emma begins, her fingers fiddling with each other nervously.

"You're moving?" Norma asks with a mix of surprise and sadness.

"I-I could go to college out there. You know? And-And live a normal life...for once." Emma says with a nod.

"Oh. Yeah. Okay. Well I'm so sad to hear this Emma. I know we will all miss you so much." Norma says, glancing over at Dylan.

"Uh-Actually...I-I am going to be joining them. Emma is going to need a lot of monitoring through the first year." Dylan tells Norma. Norma's soft smile disappears and is replaced by a cold look.

"I see." she says with a nod.

"When?" she asks him.

"Soon." Dylan says.

"We are renting our house out right now. But it's on the market. My...my dad got a job at a college up there." Emma jumps in.

"Soon like...like in a month?" Norma asks.

"Like...in a few days." Dylan tells her with a shrug. Norma takes a deep breath, trying not to cry or freak out.

"Norma it's gonna...it's gonna be fine. Okay? I promise. I'm not...I'm not gonna disappear." he reassures her.

"Okay." she says simply, still trying to compose herself.

"I-I'll make sure we come visit a lot." Emma says, taking Norma's hand. Norma forces a smile and looks at the pair with tear filled eyes.

"Just...I-I want you guys to come to dinner. You know, before you leave." Norma tells them.

"Okay. We will." Dylan says quickly.

"Okay." Norma says, letting go of Emma's hand.

"I think I'm just gonna go." Norma tells them, putting her hands in the pockets of her dress.

"What about Alex? I thought he was giving you a ride home." Dylan says with confusion.

"Uh, I-I don't think he's coming. He's been really busy lately. I was just going to walk-"

"Sorry I'm late." Alex says, walking up to them. He slips his arm around Norma's waist and places a kiss on her forehead.

"I'm sorry." he whispers to her again. She forces a smile and nods.

"Dylan, good to see you again." Alex says, shaking Dylan's hand.

"You too, Sheriff." Dylan says with a nod.

"You look good, Emma." he tells the young girl. She smiles and steps forward to hug Alex who freezes but quickly hugs her back.

"Thank you for coming." Emma says, stepping away.

"Do you want a drink? There's an open bar down near the shore." Emma offers.

"No that's alright. I'm on call." Alex tells them.

"You are?" Norma asks with surprise. He gives her a sad smile and nods.

"Uh, well I was just about to head home. Did you want to stay longer?" Norma asks. Alex gives her a look but shakes his head.

"Uh, n-no. No, yeah, we can leave." he tells her, taking her hand in his.

"Well thank you for stopping by." Emma tells them both.

"Yeah, thank you for having us. I'll see you guys later for dinner?" Norma asks.

"Yeah. I'll call you." Dylan tells her as he hugs her. She places a kiss on his cheek before quickly hugging Emma.

Alex leads Norma to his car and opens the door for her before getting in. They ride in silence for a few moments before Norma speaks.

"You could've texted me." she says, staring out the window.

"I was working." he tells her. She bites her lip, trying to keep her temper under control. She knew if she didn't change the subject now, she would go mad.

"I ran into a woman the other day. She said she knew you. Her name was Rebecca I think." Norma says, watching Alex's reaction closely.

"Oh." he said simply.

"Well do you know her?" Norma asks. He shrugs, not saying anything for a moment.

"I used to, yeah. Well...she's my banker." he tells her.

"Oh. Just your banker." Norma says with relief.

"Well, for a while...way long ago...we used to...have relations." he says carefully.

"Relations?" Norma asks.

"It was purely physical. Just someone to keep warm." he tells her.

"Oh. When did it stop?" Norma asks curiously.

"The day you moved into town." he says honestly, glancing over at her. Norma smiles widely, feeling much more comforted. She had never felt jealous of the woman. Merely curious as to her part in Alex's life. Now that she was reassured of the ending of their relations, she could forget about the woman altogether.

"Emma gave me a card today. It was for a doctor. He specializes in fertility and IVF." Norma says, looking at Alex with hope. He sighs and shakes his head.

"I don't think we will be needing that." he tells her.

"I'm over forty, Alex. So are you." she reminds him.

"I meant...I work a lot, Norma. You know that."

"So what? So you're...so you're saying we aren't even going to try?" she asks angrily.

"I didn't say that. I just...you know, I don't want to do this right now."

"No, you know what? You've had one day off in the last month which you spent sleeping. So when are we supposed to do this?" she shouts at him. His grip tightens on the steering wheel and he angrily pulls off to the side of the road and parks the car before turning to her.

"What! What!" he asks angrily.

"I'll tell you what!" she says, taking off her seatbelt and turning to him.

"You live your life in a glass box that says 'Break in case of emergency'. You are ninety percent sheriff and only ten percent mine and that is not enough!" she shouts at him.

"What is that? An ultimatum?" he asks.

"No. I'm telling you how I feel and that's different. I want a family with the man that I love."

"I'm not going to be a good father!" he shouts over her.

"I'm a bad man. I'm exactly like my father was. And I swore I would never become him. I can't raise a child like he raised me-"

"You are nothing like your father, Alex-"

"I am! I always have been!" he tells her.

"I've killed innocent men, Norma. For you-"

"Don't you dare put this on me, Alex. I didn't ask you to kill Bob Paris-"

"No you only ask me to kill if it involves protecting Norman." he shouts over her. She opens her mouth with shock. As soon as the words left his lips, he knew he shouldn't have said them.

"How dare you." she tells him.

"You have no idea what it's like for me and Norman."

"No, because you won't let me in! You push me away when it comes to Norman-"

"That is _not_ true!" she shouts at him.

"Then why didn't you tell me you went to see Norman?" Alex asks her. She looks over at him with shock.

"How did you-"

"The institute called me. You left your scarf." he tells her. She stares back out the window, not wanting to reply.

"When did we start lying to each other?" Alex asks her.

"We didn't-" she stops herself, breathing deeply with anger.

"I didn't...I haven't been lying, Alex. I just didn't want to tell you because I knew you would get worked up." she tells him.

"Because he needs space. He can't be smothered-"

"I am his mother! You don't get to decide what's best for him-"

"The institute does though!" he shouts back. She glares at him, flexing her jaw muscles to keep herself from exploding. Alex quickly unbuckles his seat belt and opens the car door, stepping out.

"Alex." Norma calls out, opening her own door and stepping out of it. She sees Alex walking down the road, away from the car.

"Alex! Where are you going?" she calls out to him.

"For a walk." he replies without looking back at her. Norma huffs and walks over to the drivers side of the car and steps in, peeling back out onto the road.

When she arrived home, she slams the front door of her house closed behind her and races up to her bedroom, the tears already falling freely from her eyes. She felt so alone. Alone and isolated. She couldn't help but miss Alex even though she was so angry with him. She thought he would want what she wanted. She didn't know what this might do to their relationship or their future.

What she knew for sure was that she couldn't imagine her life without Alex. She couldn't see herself surviving this if things went wrong with him.

Her sobs fill the air of the quiet, empty house as she collapses onto her bed which still smells of him. She clutches the sheets in her fists, bringing the fabric up to her nose as she sobs into it.

Eventually, her sobs softened to irregular hiccups as her body began to grow tired. When she sobbed out everything she had in her, her tears flowed silently, an endless river.

She didn't know what time it was when she heard footsteps approaching her door. She knew she should feel alarmed since she didn't hear the front door open at all but she couldn't feel anything.

Her door slowly swung open and Alex steps inside. Norma pushes herself up to sit on the edge of the bed. Her tear stained cheeks glistened from the light of the hallway while she stared at him with sad, electric blue eyes.

He slowly kneels down in front of her, his eyes having never looked so upset and pitiful. She had never seen him cry before and his wet eyes that she looked into now were as close to the real thing as she ever wanted to see. The sight broke her heart.

He slowly took her small hands in his own, stroking the backs with his thumbs. He opened his mouth, trying to speak.

"I'm yours." he whispers to her finally. She lets out the air she didn't know she had been holding and the tears began again.

"I'm yours. Always." he says again, reaching up to take her face into his hands. All Norma can do is nod and lean forward to kiss him passionately. He pulls away and dries her tears with his thumbs.

"I-I...I want to give you...everything. But I'm afraid." he tells her.

"Of what?"

"I don't want to be like my father. I don't want to be a bad dad." he says sadly. Norma scoots forward and holds his head to her chest, running her fingers through his hair.

"You're going to be...the best dad in the world, Alex. Because I know how much love you are capable of. And I know how gentle and caring you are." she tells him. He nods, clinging to her like a small child.

"Alex, I don't want to have another fight like this." she tells him as he lifts his head.

"It scared me." she adds.

He nods, his thumb stroking her cheek.

"Our relationship is strong, Norma. I love you more than i've ever loved anyone. And i'm not giving you up." he says, earning a beautiful smile from her pink lips.

"Promise?" she asks.

"I promise." he tells her, taking her hand.

"I'm not saying no to kids, Norma. I'm just asking for some time with you. Just us." he explains to her.

"And we can have kids later?" she asks.

"Four years tops." he tells her.

"Six months." she bargains.

"One year." he offers.

"Deal." she says happily, shaking his hand. She smiles slowly and launches herself at him, hugging him tightly.

"I love you." she whispers into his ear. He smiles, still not used to the sound of her telling him that.

"I love you too."

 _Sorry it's been so long. I just recently found out how to do edits so i've been making Normero videos. And i've got work and school. It all piles up. Anyways, enjoy!_


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